


The Best There Ever Was

by shiningdragonair



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Pokemon, M/M, Pokemon AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2014-07-14
Packaged: 2018-01-27 17:11:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1718237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiningdragonair/pseuds/shiningdragonair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pokémon trainer Eren Jaeger begins an adventure to become the best trainer that he can be with the help of his sister and fellow trainer Mikasa and brilliant battle theorist and best friend Armin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eren Jaeger

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted to cross these two worlds ^^
> 
> Rated M for language.
> 
> There's going to be heavy Pokémon stuff, but most will be explained during the course of the chapters.

Lights. Blinding lights. _Holy shit, I’m roasting_. Eren reached for the key around his neck and kissed it. The multi-colored mega stone let off a dim light and was warm against his lips. _I’ve made it this far. I can’t lose now._

 

The speakers squealed. Eren’s pulse started racing as he heard the announcer bellow, “ _And now! The semi-final match of the Manhattan Junior Pokémon Tournament! Remember, the winner of this match is guaranteed a spot in the International Pokémon League’s Training Academy!”_

Eren thought back to the months of training leading up to the tournament. Hunting down wild Pokémon in the swamps in the Meadowlands, battling anyone who would accept a challenge. His dreams of becoming the Champion of the International Pokémon League were riding on this. “I fucking need that training…” Eren breathed.

_“Representing Greenwich Village is the cool and collected Jean Kirschtein!”_

 

The audience roared as Jean walked onto the battleground. He was the clear favorite to take the title from the start. Eren tightened his fist and took hold on the first Poké Ball around his belt. _I’m gonna take that smug bastard down._

 

“ _And his opponent! The fierce and fiery competitor from SoHo! Eren Jaeger!”_

 

Eren emerged from the trainer hold and lifted his arms high, waving to the filled MetLife Stadium. The audience cheered for him, the clear underdog in this match. He scanned the crowd for Armin and Mikasa, which was pointless in a venue this large.

 

“ _Throughout this competition, Jaeger has shown incredible power and determination and it’s gotten him this far! Will Kirschtein be able to handle such raw strength?”_

 

His heart was racing as a gust of wind blew through the stadium, tousling his hair and rushing through his arms. _Let’s fly._

 

_“This is a three-on-three single battle match! Trainer with the last Pokémon standing will move onto the finals! Trainers, at the ready while the terrain is set!”_

Eren dug into his box as he felt the ground beneath him shake. Huge stones emerged from what seemed like nowhere and dotted the battleground. _Mountain terrain?_ Eren scoffed. _This’ll be cake_. He and pressed the button on his Poké Ball, ready to release.

 

“ _Three…”_

Jean unlatched a Great Ball from his belt.

 

“ _Two…”_

 

Eren gulped hard and felt his palms get sweaty.

 

“ _One…”_

 

A malicious grin formed on Eren lips.

 

“ _Battle!_ ”

 

“Go! Flareon!” Eren roared, flinging the ball as a Flareon emerged in a flash of white energy. She sat perched atop the stone closest to Eren and let out a wisp of flame from its mouth.

 

Jean snickered and tossed his Great Ball in the air. It burst open and a Flygon soared high into the air. “Let’s go, Flygon! Sandstorm!”

 

“ _And the battle is underway with Flareon and Flygon, who quickly whips up a Sandstorm!_ ”

 

“What the…?” Eren gulped as the foreign opponent spread its wings and sand began surging around the stadium, battering the plexiglass barrier protecting the crowd.

 

“Flareon, Quick Attack!” Eren commanded. Flareon bolted around the battleground, her speed soaring. She moved from stone to stone as Jean’s Flygon attempted to keep its eye on her. Eren’s mind raced. He had no way of finding out how to take down this Pokémon. _I’ve only heard of Flygon. Never actually seen one…fuck. Armin would know. I could’ve sworn he said something about Flygon…being a dragon type?_ Flareon went to strike as Flygon deftly dodged it.

 

“Never seen this baby before, have you, Jaeger?” Jean yelled to Eren.

 

“Piss off, Kirschtein! I’ll take you down no matter what!”

 

“I’d like to see you try! Flygon!” Jean called, “Stone Edge!”

 

Eren’s heart dropped as a barrage of rocks sped at Flareon, hitting her dead on.

 

“ _Flareon is unable to battle! Kirschtein takes first blood as Jaeger is down 3-2!”_

 

“Flareon!” Eren’s eyes widened and his heart dropped. He extended his arm and returned his fallen partner to its Poké Ball. _Shit!_ _Think…What’s resistant to dragons?_ He thought back to his studying with Armin on the roof of their apartment building. _We were talking about counters and checks in battle and the best response to a dragon…_

Eren reached for the second ball on his belt. _I haven’t used this one much, but here goes._ “Go! Skarmory!”

 

“ _Jaeger throws Skarmory into play! What an interesting turn!_ ”

 

“Full of surprises, aren’t you, kid?” Jean sneered.

 

“If this fucker doesn’t shut up…” Eren seethed. Skarmory flew around the stadium aimlessly, surveying the battleground below. “Skarmory! Use swift!”

 

Skarmory began to nose-dive toward Flygon and sent bright star-shaped missiles from its mouth directly toward its opponent.

 

“ _Oh! Skarmory’s Swift is a direct hit!_ ”

 

Flygon shook it off as the sandstorm subsided. _Dammit,_ Eren thought, _that didn’t do shit._

 

Jean quickly retaliated. “Flygon! Flamethrower!”

 

 _Flamethrower?!_ “Skarmory! Protect – !”

 

“ _Skarmory takes a critical hit and is unable to battle!_ _Eren is down to his last Pokémon! Who will it be?_ ”

 

Eren felt his heart in his throat and tears well up in his eyes. He was being taken down like it was nothing. _I thought I was good…I got this far…_. His thoughts turned into a roar. “I’M NOT GOING DOWN THIS EASILY!” In one swift movement, he found the final ball on his belt and threw it into the air. “GO! CHARIZARD!”

 

Charizard burst out of its Poké Ball and roared in unison with his trainer. Eren ripped his key from his neck and pressed his thumb to it. Charizard’s Charizardite X began to react as an enormous burst of energy began his transformation into Mega Charizard X. Eren’s eyes widened in awe and excitement. _Fuck yeah! It worked!_

The crowd screamed in excitement.

 

“ _And Eren immediately mega evolves his Charizard! What an amazing display of intensity and the bond between Pokémon and trainer! This is the first successful mega evolution of the competition!”_

“Charizard! Outrage!” Eren bellowed as his Pokémon unleashed on Flygon, sending it flying into the barriers.

 

“Flygon – !”

 

“ _Flygon is unable to battle! There’s the raw power we’ve seen from Jaeger as he brings Kirschtein down to two! 2-1!_ ”

 

“You think you’re hot stuff, Jaeger?!” Jean whipped out an Ultra Ball.

 

_What could he have in an Ultra Ball…?_

 

“Let’s go, Milotic!”

 

_Milotic?! Where’d he get one of those?!_

 

“ _Look at this! Kirschtein releases the beautiful Milotic to take on Mega Charizard X!_ ”

 

Eren clenched his fists and wiped his brow. His brown hair matted against his forehead with sweat. _Milotic’s still a water type. This can work!_ “Charizard! Thunderpunch!”

 

“Milotic! Hydro Pump!”

 

_Shit!_

 

Charizard’s fist collided with the powerful water attack and sent electricity throughout the stream. Smoke flooded the stadium as Eren covered his face. He heard a thud and his heart sank. _That’s it. It’s over._ Eren heard Jean scream.

 

“Milotic! No!”

 

 _Huh?_ Peering out from behind his arm, he saw Milotic writhing on the ground, in paralysis. Charizard was standing, miraculously, on a stone across from Eren.

 

“YES! Awesome!”

 

The crowd roared. _“Incredible! Mega Charizard X drives Milotic to the ground!”_

Milotic’s scales began to glow.

 

“ _What’s this? It looks like Milotic’s ability Marvel Scale is activating!_ _But will it help with such little energy remaining?_ ”

 

“This is it, Charizard! Finish it off with Fire Blast!” _Just one more after this one._

 

As Charizard reared its head to send the finishing blow to Jean’s Milotic, he staggered forward. Eren’s eyes widened.

 

“Charizard! Fire Blast, now!” Eren screamed., growing frantic. “Finish it off!”

 

Charizard lurched forward and reverted back to its unevolved state. Eren fell to his knees in shock as he watched his first Pokémon collapse. For a brief second everything was silent except for the sound of Charizard slamming to the ground. The crowd went wild.

“ _There you have it, folks! Looks like Mega Charizard X couldn’t stand up to its own heat! The winner of this battle and the semi-finals is Jean Kirschtein!_ ”

 

Eren slammed his fists onto the stone battleground as tears began to fall, dotting the dirt. He looked up and saw Jean waving to the crowd as they cheered their favorite onto the finals. Charizard attempted to stand up, but was simply too weak to move. Eren returned him to his Poké Ball and walked out of the arena, head hung and tears streaming down his face.

 

***

 

“Eren! Will you stop being a little bitch and let me in?”

 

“Go away, Mikasa.”

 

Mikasa heaved a sighed. “I have pizza.”

 

She heard shuffling in Eren’s room and he cracked the door. “From?”

 

“Ray’s. Where else?”

 

“I don’t know. That Domino’s crap,” he said, opening the door all the way. Mikasa saw his three Poké Balls resting on top of a pile of clutter on his floor. His laptop was open on his bed.

 

“Whatcha doing?” she asked in a sing-song voice.

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Eren.”

 

“Nothing! God, I’ve had a rough day. I just – I just want to be alone.”

 

“Come on. We’re going to the roof.”

 

“Can we not?”

 

“Eren, we’re going to the roof whether you like it or not. Now I can drag you or you can walk.”

 

“Christ. Fine. Mom’d be proud of you.”

 

The two walked through their two-bedroom apartment. It was pretty well kept considering two eighteen-year-olds we living there. Eren and Mikasa had been on their own since their mother died a year ago. They took the money they had and put it toward the down payment on their current apartment. They’ve been able support themselves through battle competitions and the generosity of their family friend, Hannes. They don’t see him much, but he always sends his monthly checks with a heartfelt card. It’s not much, but it’s enough to get by.

 

The two climbed out of their living room window and climbed the fire escape up to the roof. The sun was setting on the Hudson River as a flock of Pidove flew overhead.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t win,” Eren admitted.

 

“Don’t apologize. You did your best.”

 

“But my best wasn’t good enough!” He threw his hands up and started pacing. He pulled a Poké Ball out of his pocket and released it. Flareon emerged and nuzzled up against Eren’s leg. He knelt down and scratched beneath her chin.

 

“You tried so hard, Flareon. I’m proud of you.”

 

Flareon purred and sat next to Eren.

 

“I need more training, Mikasa. I needed that win to get to the League’s academy.”

 

“You know you can train without going to the Academy. We can train together.”

 

“Hell no.”

 

“Why not?”

 

A small grin flashed across Eren’s face. “Because you always win.”

 

“Okay, maybe,” she agreed, opening the box of pizza she brought up with her. Eren snatched a slice and took a huge chunk out of it. “What’re you going to do then?”

 

“I don’t know. I need a coach. I need someone to help me train my Pokémon. And, I need to catch more.”

 

Flareon hissed. “No offense, Flare.”

 

“Armin’ll be over soon. Maybe we can talk to him – ”

 

“Hey, guys,” Armin said stepping onto the roof. “Great battling today, Eren.”

 

“Not good enough.”

 

“But it was still awesome, Eren,” Mikasa pled. “You have to believe it.”

 

“Yeah,” Armin continued. “Not many eighteen-year-old trainers can successfully pull off a mega evolution. Actually, not many trainers can do it at all.”

 

“I guess,” Eren conceded, taking hold of his mega stone. “It’s probably the best thing Dad ever gave me. Well that and Charmander.”

 

The three stood in silence, chowing down on their pizza.

 

“Have you thought about challenging the International Pokémon League?” Armin said, breaking the silence.

 

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it. But, if I can’t beat that bastard Kirschtein then I’m not nearly good enough to take on a gym leader anywhere.”

 

“I think you should give it a shot,” Mikasa interjected. “There’s a licensed gym downtown.”

 

Eren’s shot a skeptical look at his sister. “You serious? The League is international. If I win, I’d be traveling the world.”

 

“You’re okay with that?” Armin asked, equally surprised.

 

“Eren,” Mikasa began, “I’ll make you a deal. If you can beat the New York City gym, we’ll go.”

 

“We?” Eren asked, mouth agape.

 

“Yeah. Me, you, and Armin. We sell the apartment and go.”

 

“Dude! That’s fucking awesome!” Armin exclaimed. “There’s so many Pokémon I want to see! To study…to catch! Oh my god, Eren, you have to win!”

 

Eren studied Mikasa. “You’re really gonna give up a rent controlled apartment in SoHo’s Shiganshina apartment complex?”

 

“If you can beat the leader of this gym, we’ll do it.”

 

Eren’s eyes sparkled emerald in the fiery orange sunset. Thunder rumbled in the distance behind them.

 

“We should get inside. It’s supposed to be nasty tonight,” Armin said, moving to the fire escape. “And we gotta work on your training plan, Eren!”

 

“Fuck yeah we do!” Eren bellowed, bolting past Armin and scurrying down the ladder, disappearing into the apartment.

 

***

 

The rain was pouring, battering against the windows of the apartment. The air conditioning kept the rooms at a balmy 70 degrees and wafted the scent of freshly popped popcorn from the kitchen into the living room where the three sat in front of the TV. Eren grabbed the remote and cranked up the volume.

 

“So this is one of the greatest trainers of his time,” Armin began. “Levi Ackerman. It’s said that he was so in sync with his Pokémon that he could actually talk with them. The only thing he couldn’t do – ”

 

“ – was mega evolution,” Mikasa finished.

 

“Yeah,” Armin agreed. “This is the last battle that he competed in on an international scale. He won, but it was a close call.”

 

Eren’s eyes widened as he saw the man they called Levi emerge from the trainer’s keep and stand tall in his box. He wore a forest green jacket with two wings emblazoned on the chest and back. A tight black tee beneath it accentuated a toned and chiseled frame. His eyes were dead calm as he flipped his jacket up and exposed a belt filled with a variety of balls.

 

“What kinds of Poké Balls are those?” Eren droned.

 

“The black one’s a Luxury Ball. Makes Pokémon friendlier towards you upon capture,” Armin commented.

 

“What about that green one?”

 

“Pretty sure that’s a Dusk Ball. It works better in caves or something.”

 

Eren’s mouth hung agape. He knew he was in for some rare Pokémon. The announcer counted down and the battle began. The opposing trainer released an Espeon while Levi sent out an Ultra Ball containing a Greninja.

 

“That Greninja!” Eren gasped. “It’s fucking black!”

 

“He has an alternate color Pokémon?!” Mikasa shot at Armin.

 

“Yeah,” Armin smugly replied, pleased with the reactions. “Levi has a ‘shiny’ Greninja,” he explained, making air quotes around the word “shiny.”

 

“I’ve only heard rumors of their existence,” Mikasa whispered.

 

“They’re so friggin’ rare…” Eren said, even more awestruck than before.

 

Action began as Greninja used Dark Pulse and wiped Espeon out in one shot. The ninja Pokémon darted around the battleground, anticipating its next opponent – the electric type Ampharos.

 

 _Uh oh,_ Eren thought, _electric type against a water type?_

 

A smirk flashed across Levi’s face. In the blink of an eye, Greninja’s skin glowed and it quickly disappeared into the ground.

 

“What happened? Armin, what was that?”

 

“Protean,” Armin answered. “It’s a rare ability that Greninja can have. It assumes the type of the move it’s about to use. Usually, its ability is Torrent, but Levi really hunted for this specific Pokémon.”

 

“That Ampharos doesn’t stand a chance,” Mikasa remarked.

 

“Nope,” Armin confirmed. “Same Type Attack Bonus goes into effect.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Eren, you don’t know about STAB?” Armin asked.

 

Eren shook his head.

 

“Yeah, we’re going over that first.”

 

Their attention was turned back to the TV by the roar of the crowd as Greninja took out Ampharos with one strike of its super effective Dig attack. Eren was captivated by the swiftness of Levi’s attacking and his deadly synchronicity with his Pokémon. He hasn’t said a single word and Greninja took out two Pokémon like it was nothing. He had this battle in the bag. As Greninja darted back towards Levi, his opponent released his final Pokémon – Dragonite.

 

_Holy shit, that thing’s huge._

 

Greninja’s skin glowed again, indicating its type change and unleashed a powerful Ice Beam directly at Dragonite. Just before the attack landed, Dragonite’s scales hardened. The attack hit hard, but didn’t cause nearly as much damage as expected.

 

“What the – ?” Eren commented. “That should’ve taken it out! What the hell?”

 

“This Dragonite is one of the scariest things to hit the competitive field,” Armin noted. “Just watch.”

 

The Dragonite pulled an item from its mouth. The camera zoomed in and showed two words imprinted on it just before the Pokémon absorbed it – “Weakness Policy.”

 

“What the hell’s a Weakness Policy?” Eren panicked.

 

“It’s a pretty expensive item only available to experienced trainers. It sharply increases the holder’s attack and special attack when it’s hit by a super effective move. And since Dragonite’s ability Multiscale kept it around, Levi’s in trouble.”

 

Eren quickly saw this reality come to fruition as Dragonite unleashed an all-too-familiar Stone Edge that wiped out Greninja due to its now-unfortunate ice typing. Levi’s brow was furrowed and Eren could tell that this was completely unexpected. He hesitated and sent out his second Pokémon – Toxicroak. Dragonite immediately wrapped itself in its wings and emitted a soft glow before emerging, healed up.

 

_It used Roost?_

 

Toxicroak shot a sickly purple substance at its opponent, causing small blisters to form on Dragonite’s scales. It was badly poisoned. Levi gritted his teeth, still concerned. Dragonite slammed its foot onto the ground, causing the entire arena to quake.

 

_Earthquake?_

 

“Toxicroak didn’t stand a chance,” Mikasa realized.

 

“Yeah, but Levi knew that,” Armin explained. “He was able to poison it.”

 

Levi sent out his final Pokémon – Tyranitar. It was huge. _Oh my fucking god._ Levi deftly pulled up his sleeve and exposed a Mega Ring. He pressed his finger to the mega stone and bared his teeth. Tyranitar’s Tyranitarite began to glow and a massive burst of energy began the transformation to Mega Tyranitar.

 

“Wait. Something’s wrong,” Eren noticed.

 

The evolution abruptly stopped and Dragonite went in for a Dragon Claw that hit Tyranitar directly. Dragonite recoiled as the poison dealt damage, but Tyranitar was already badly hurt. Levi shoved the Mega Ring into his pocket and yelled something to his Pokémon who quickly stood up, reared his head and delivered a deadly Hyper Beam and threw Dragonite into the audience barricade. Levi had won. Mikasa turned off the TV as the sound of the rain filled the now silent room.

 

“That was incredible,” Eren said, throwing himself onto his back. “I want a Weakness Policy and Dragonite.”

 

“When you beat the gym, you can hunt for a Dratini,” Mikasa chuckled.

 

“Here’s the thing,” Armin added. “You just watched the leader of the New York City Gym take it down.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun ^^


	2. Levi and the New York City Gym

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi, the leader of the New York City Gym, is on the verge of leaving competitive battling when his newest challenger gives him a run for his money.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a LOT longer than I thought >_> Hope you enjoy!

It had been a week since Levi sat in the stands of the Manhattan Junior Pokémon Tournament and watched a goddamn eighteen-year-old brat successfully perform a mega evolution. He sat in his darkened gym and flipped his own Mega Ring between his fingers. Tyranitar sat opposite him with her eyes closed, each breath a low rumble. Her Tyranitarite gave off a dim glow that caught Levi’s gray eyes.

 

“Why couldn’t it work for us, Tyra? What’s that kid have that we don’t?”

 

Tyra grunted and scratched at the holster for her Tyranitarite wrapped around her neck.

 

“We should take that off you for now,” Levi sighed. “That Kirschtein didn’t stand a chance against us. I think just seeing it made him quake. Even if we didn’t attempt it.” He stood at Tyra’s feet. “Give me a boost, girl.”

 

Tyra reached down and lifted her trainer up to the holster, which he deftly unfastened. He rubbed her cheek. “You wiped that smug look right off his face.” Tyra let out a purr of approval.

 

Levi had been the leader of the New York City Dark Gym in Lower Manhattan for five years. Upon his victory in the International Pokémon League tournament, Erwin Smith, commander of the League, offered him the position. He didn’t want it at first, but after seeing how many eager trainers flocked to the gym in the months and even first couple years after his victory was, in a way, inspiring. But, after awhile, all the challengers became a blur of tired strategy and predictability. There was no spice anymore.

 

“But then that kid. That…Jaeger brat. What did he do to get that mega evolution?”

 

He paced the battleground and looked at his watch. Ten at night.

 

“I guess it’s time to close up, Tyra.”

 

Levi returned her to her Dusk Ball. Heaving a sigh, he walked over to the electrical panel and killed the few lights that remained before pulling out his keys and locking the door behind him.

 

A breeze blew off the Hudson River, blowing back Levi’s signature forest green jacket, as he stepped out onto the grass in Battery Park. Building a Pokémon Gym at the very tip of the island was a great idea. During the day, the park would be filled with kids playing with their first Pokémon as their parents snapped pictures. Trainers would have friendly battles for all to see. But when night fell, it was Levi and the river. The schools of Basculin cried in the night as they scoured for food. He pulled out a spare Sitrus Berry wrapped in a paper towel from his pocket, broke it apart and tossed it into the water for the Hostile Pokémon. The school battled for the berry that was quickly devoured. Levi turned and faced the city, back to the water.

 

“Maybe it’s time I leave,” he wondered. “There’s no fucking point. I haven’t awarded a badge to anyone in five years. And the one kid I was hoping would show probably won’t.”

 

He noticed three shadows dart from the South Ferry station to the gym. They were yelling something that Levi couldn’t decipher. It sounded like pep talk. _Are you kidding me? I don’t have time for this._ “The gym is closed for the night!” He yelled across the park. The shadows stopped and began to move in his direction. Instinctively, he clutched an Ultra Ball on his belt and walked toward them.

 

“Whaddya mean it’s closed? Pokémon Gyms don’t close!” a harsh voice rang out.

 

The taller boy in the group nearly ran Levi over as they met in the middle of the field. He was hunched over, out of breath from his sprint, when a key slipped out of his shirt, dangling a glowing mega stone. Levi’s eyes widened.

 

“You’re that fucking Jaeger brat.”

 

Eren’s head shot up. “I’m not a brat! Wait, you’ve heard of me?”

 

Levi pushed past him and walked towards his gym. “I watched your battle against Kirschtein last week.”

 

“Oh,” Eren said, confidence draining, “you saw.”

 

“Yeah. That mega evolution was something.”

 

Eren’s ears twitched at the sound of a compliment. “You think so?”

 

Levi unlocked the gym and switched the lights on full blast, illuminating the cement battleground. He walked over to his box opposite the door, planted himself and crossed his arms. Eren, with Armin and Mikasa close behind, sheepishly walked into the building.

 

“What the fuck are you doing? Either come in or get lost. I never _re-open_ the gym after closing. And who’re you two?”

 

Mikasa shoved Eren forward. “Ow! Okay, okay,” he whined, rubbing his back. “That’s my best friend Armin and sister Mikasa.”

 

“Fine. Sidelines, you two. Now, Jaeger. Why are you here?” Levi demanded as Armin and Mikasa silently walked to the edge of the gym.

 

Eren clenched his fists and felt the fire rekindle inside him. He bellowed, “I’m here to challenge the New York City Gym Leader!”

 

Levi flashed a pleased smirk. “Good,” he growled. “This is a Dark type gym, just so you know. We’ll have a three-on-three single battle and I want to see what you’ve got. _Everything_ , you’ve got.”

 

Eren unlatched a Poké Ball from his belt. “You better believe I will.”

 

Levi’s heart started pounding beneath his black tee shirt. He felt an excitement and electricity surge throughout him. A smile started to form on his lips. He was excited to battle. “Ready?”

 

“Hell yeah!”

 

“Let’s go, Dart!” Levi yelled, flinging an Ultra Ball in the air, releasing his black Greninja.

 

Eren froze as he watched this rare and beautiful Pokémon take a fighting stance in the center of the battleground. The TV hadn’t done this alternate color Pokémon justice. _Whoa._

 

“Eren!” Armin called out, snapping him into reality.

 

“Oh, yeah. Go! Flareon! Quick Attack!” Eren shouted as Flareon emerged and bolted around the field. In a split second, she struck Dart from behind, dealing minor damage.

 

 _Not bad,_ Levi thought.

 

“Choosing a priority move wasn’t a bad idea, kid. But I don’t think you know what you’re up against!”

 

Without a command, Dart’s skin flashed.

 

 _Protean,_ Eren remembered. “Flareon, get ready!”

 

Dart leapt into the air and began firing water at Flareon at a devastating speed.

 

“That’s Greninja’s Water Shuriken!” Armin called out. “It’s his signature move!”

 

“Dodge it – !” Eren was too late. Flareon took a direct hit on four of the shots and was in bad shape. _Shit!_

 

Levi watched as Eren started to break a sweat. _We’re only one turn in and he’s already stressing out?_ He glanced over at the two he’d walked in with standing at the side of the battleground. They showed genuine concern for the kid. _Must be nice to have people like that._ Attention turning back to the battle, Levi locked eyes with Dart and nodded. Dart’s skin flashed again as he reared back to finish Flareon off with a Dark Pulse, when Eren gave a command.

 

“Flareon, quick! Superpower!”

 

“ _What?_ ” Levi hissed.

 

Flareon used the last of its energy to pummel Dart to the ground with such force that a crack formed in the cement. She leapt off of Dart and staggered to her starting position, legs trembling as Dart remained still.

 

“Come on, Dart! You’re good!”

 

After a moment, Dart lifted himself off the ground and assumed a crouching position. Both Pokémon were down to their last slivers of health.

 

“Flareon! Quick Attack!”

 

Flareon bolted around the field again, looking for an opening to strike. As she zeroed in, Dart unleashed his Dark Pulse and propelled Flareon back towards her trainer, passed out.

 

Eren let out a frustrated groan. “You were so close, Flareon,” he sighed as he recalled her. “Good job.” He pressed his lips to the ball.

 

“Slick move, kid. Using Superpower just as Dart changed type.”

 

Ignoring the comment, Eren bared his teeth and growled in determination as he unlatched his second Pokémon. The mega stone around his neck began to glow more intensely. Levi noticed and raised his brow. _This is it,_ he thought.

 

“Go! Charizard!”

 

 _That’s who we’re looking for,_ Levi thought.

 

Charizard let out a roar as he emerged from his Poké Ball. Levi couldn’t help but notice that the two shared the same intensity and ferocity. Something about this Charizard was inherently linked to the boy. The Charizardite X dangling from Charizard’s neck was vibrating, itching to be activated.

 

Dart attempted to unleash another Dark Pulse, but fell to the ground before he could strike, rendering him unable to battle. Eren saw as a green orb fell from behind Dart’s tongue.

 

“Is that a Life Orb?” Mikasa asked Armin.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “It saps the health of a Pokémon but makes its moves about 30% more powerful.”

 

“Either way,” Eren interjected, “we’re even at 2-2 now!”

 

“I suppose you’re right, then,” Levi said, coolly. Reaching for the Dusk Ball on his belt, he added, “But you got by on residual damage. If Dart hadn’t been holding the Life Orb, you’d be down another Pokémon.”

 

He saw Eren shift, growing impatient. “For Christ’s sake, will you just send out another Pokémon!” he yelled.

 

“So testy,” Levi shot. “But if you say so. Let’s go, Tyra!”

 

Releasing the Dusk Ball into the air, Tyra the Tyranitar emerged and, with a crash, landed on the cement. Slowly, sand began to flow through the gym as a Sandstorm kicked up.

 

Eren ripped the key from his neck and pressed his thumb to the almost-fluorescent mega stone. Charizard’s Charizardite X immediately and violently reacted to the activation and the resulting energy blew out the windows in the gym. Eren’s eyes glowed a intense green as the energy coursed through the boy. Levi stood his ground and cackled wildly. “There it is! Fuckin’ mega evolution at its finest!”

 

Eren fell to his knees from the immense amount of effort it took to successfully activate the Charizardite X. “Holy shit,” he breathed as he pushed himself back up.

 

“Tyra! Stone Edge!” Levi screamed. Tyra roared and sent stones hurtling toward Charizard who attempted to dodge the assault until a stone clipped his wing.

 

Charizard soared up high before making a nose-dive toward Tyra as Eren commanded, “Outrage!”

 

“Quick! Power-Up Punch!”

 

As Charizard came in to unleash upon Tyra, her fist connected with his jaw, sending Charizard across the battleground, leaving Tyra unscathed. Charizard immediately stood up and charged at Tyra, who launched a fortified Earthquake.

 

“Get off the ground!” Eren bellowed. Charizard obliged milliseconds before the ground violently rocked. He dove towards Tyra and finally made contact, sending her into the wall behind Levi.

 

 _Christ,_ Levi thought, wiping sweat from his brow. _He’s not half bad, but this is so over._

 

The Sandstorm continued to rage on and battered against Charizard, who was slowing down due to fatigue. Levi looked back at Tyra who was already making her way back to the battleground. Levi threw his hand out and pointed at Charizard. “Stone Edge!”

 

Charizard took the full hit, knocking him out and reverting him back to his original form. Eren quickly recalled Charizard and threw out his final Poké Ball. “Skarmory!”

 

The Armor Bird Pokémon soared into flight upon release. Levi eyed his final opponent and remained silent as Tyra took the lead.

 

“Skarmory, use Steel Wing!”

 

Skarmory’s wings sharpened as he dove towards his target. A grin curled up on Eren’s mouth.

 

“Don’t get too happy!” Levi called out.

 

As Skarmory approached striking distance, Tyra pulled her fist back and it connected with Skarmory in a flash of electricity, launching Skarmory into the ceiling. He promptly fell with a sickening crash onto the cement, unable to battle.

 

“Fuck!” Eren yelled, bolting to his fallen Pokémon’s side as sand buffeted his face. He saw where Tyra’s fist connected with Skarmory - his steel body charred and dented. “Skarmory…”

 

“Well, that’s that then,” Levi declared as he returned Tyra to her Dusk Ball, the Sandstorm vanishing. Levi watched as Armin and Mikasa trotted over to Eren who began weeping over his Pokémon.

 

“D-Dammit…” Eren stuttered, choking back tears. “I came so close. I almost beat him…”

 

“Eren, you gave Levi a run for his money, though,” Armin explained. “He never gave his Pokémon commands until you.”

 

Levi realized how true that statement was. He’d always taken a backseat and watched his Pokémon battle for him. _I trust them to make the right choice and if we lose, they learn._ He looked at his hands and still felt the electricity coursing through him. Slowly, he felt the adrenaline ebb as he sat on the ground, exhausted. He heard Armin whispering to Eren.

 

“Look at him, Eren. You wiped him out.”

 

“Yeah,” Mikasa added. “I don’t think he’s put that much effort into a battle in years.”

 

Levi took a couple of deep breaths and returned to his feet. “You put up a good fight, but you still have a lot to learn.”

 

Eren looked up at him.

 

“You’re not as good as you think you are, but you’re not as bad as you think you are either. Give yourself some fucking credit. Do you know how many people wish they could pull off a mega evolution like that?”

 

“N-No, I guess – ”

 

“You guess what?” Levi started walking towards him. “Guess that you actually have some raw talent? Guess that you’re fucking privileged enough to even have a mega stone and Charizardite X?” He paused and took a breath. “Where’d you even get that from?” he snarled.

 

Eren stood up and clutched the stone in his hand. “My father gave it to me before he left. Before he just walked out on me, my mom, and my sister. So, don’t give me shit because you can’t do a mega evolution.”

 

“I still kicked your ass without it.”

 

“But you want it, don’t you,” Armin interrupted. “I saw the way your face lit up when the reaction happened.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Levi spat back. He surveyed the damage done to the gym. _The IPL’s gonna kill me for this one._ “Alright. Come with me. The three of you.”

 

“Where are we going?” Mikasa worried.

 

“Relax, we’re just going to the Pokémon Center. Our Pokémon need some help and I want to talk with the three of you.”

 

***

 

Levi bobbed and weaved through tourists in Times Square quickly making his way to the five-story Pokémon Center on the corner of 45th Street and 7th Ave., across from the enormous Marriot Marquis. _All these goddamn tourists._ Even at eleven o’clock, Midtown Manhattan was still buzzing with people. For a five-foot-two man, he had a very quick stride. Years of living in New York City had cultivated his “city walk,” much to the dismay of Eren and company.

 

“Hang on!” Eren called, struggling to keep up. “Christ,” he gasped, coming to a halt outside of the Center.

 

“Remind me again why we came all the way _uptown_ to go to a Pokémon Center?” Mikasa asked, unaffected by the walk. “There were plenty of Centers closer to home.”

 

“This is the only one I like.”

 

“You run a gym at the furthest point downtown and insist on coming all the way up here?” Armin added.

 

“Problem?” Levi spat.

 

“No,” Eren said definitively, standing back up. “We’re here for a reason. Let’s go.” He turned to Mikasa and Armin. “Be cool, guys. We’re here with _the_ Levi.”

 

“Eren, we don’t even know the guy,” Mikasa hissed. “What if is associated with some criminal shit? You’re carrying a mega stone and Charizardite X.”

 

“Yeah, you can get good money for that anywhere,” Armin added.

 

“Okay. We’ll be careful but I wanna go with him,” Eren explained. “He said he wanted to talk with all three of us. Besides, we’re in the middle of a high profile Pokémon Center in Times Square. And if he’s going to do something, all three of us have our Pokémon.”

 

“Well?” Levi called. “Are you coming?”

 

Before anyone else could answer, Eren agreed, marched into the Center, and made his way up to the counter and the bespeckled doctor behind it.

 

“Welcome to our Pokémon Center! We heal your Pokémon back – ”

 

“Drop the act, shitty four-eyes.”

 

“Levi! You’re here late,” she said, quickly dropping the saccharine tone for a significantly gruffer one.

 

“Jaeger, this is Dr. Hanji Zoe.”

 

“My official name here is Nurse Joy, but yeah, what’s up, kid? Wait – Jaeger. Eren Jaeger? As in ‘mega evolution brat’?”

 

“You’ve heard of him?” Armin chimed in.

 

“Heard of him? I was in the stands next to Levi and watched the whole thing. It was fuckin’,” she caught herself, “excuse me, I mean, it was really awesome! What was it like with all that energy flowing through you? Becoming one with you Pokémon? Oh my _god_ , I have so many questions for you!”

 

“Chill the fuck out,” Levi snapped.

 

“Can you not curse here? It’s supposed to be a ‘family’ place.”

 

“Whatever. Can you just heal up our Pokémon and then meet us over at that table?” Levi motioned to the back corner by the Poké Mart and Starbucks kiosk.

 

“Yes, _sir_ ,” Hanji said, taking Eren’s and Levi’s Pokémon.

 

The four moved to their table and sat in awkward silence as the buzz of Pokémon Center activity continued in the background.

 

“So,” Eren began, hesitantly. Levi looked at the kid. He was visibly nervous and had no idea what he was doing or what was going to happen.

 

“So?” Levi responded. The three shifted in their seats. He sighed. “Do you want coffee or something? God, it’s like you think I’m going to kill you. What do you want? I’ll pay.”

 

The three exchanged a look.

 

“Uh,” Eren started, “I’ll have a caramel macchiato, I guess. Grande.”

 

“Tall green tea latte for me,” Armin said, sheepishly. “Thanks.”

 

“I’m fine,” Mikasa said, coldly.

 

“Suit yourself,” Levi shrugged, walking to the barista. Hanji joined him at the kiosk.

 

“Whatcha doin’?”

 

“Ordering drinks? Yeah, hi,” he motioned for the barista to come over. “Grande caramel  

macchiato, tall green tea latte, and a grande chocolate chai tea latte with no whip and a pump and a half of peppermint flavor – ”

 

“ – and a grande Americano!” Hanji added.

 

“This, too,” Levi said, adding a bottle of water to the order as he handed over the cash. Hanji giggled at his usual order.

 

“What?” Levi snapped.

 

“You’re such a priss with your Starbucks order.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“You probably order the fruity drinks at the bar, too.”

 

“They’re fucking tasty, so shut the hell up.”

 

“So what’s up with the kid? Why’d you bring him here?”

 

“We had a gym match tonight.”

 

“Finally.”

 

“Yeah. I almost thought he wouldn’t show.”

 

“Did he say why he finally did?”

 

“Nah, and I don’t really care. But he took out Dart with Superpower just as he used Protean to change to the Dark type. Can’t believe he acted that quickly. And what’s more important – ”

 

“He didn’t…”

 

“Yeah. He pulled off another mega evolution with that Charizard. Those two have a seriously deep connection, but he’s too reckless to use it properly. He could’ve won. He just needs a proper trainer.”

 

Hanji glanced over at him. She noticed him staring at Eren.

 

“And that’s supposed to be you?” she prodded.

 

“We’re about to find out.”

 

“Since when do you take students?” Hanji sassed, attempting to get his attention back from Eren.

 

“I don’t know. There’s just something about him.”

 

Levi swiped the drinks off of the counter and tossed Hanji her coffee. Moving back to the table, he distributed the drinks. “Macchiato for the green-eyed brat, green tea latte for the quiet one, this is mine, four-eyes has hers, and a water for the judgmental one.”

 

“Thanks,” Mikasa replied, taking the water. “You didn’t have to.”

 

“I know. So, Eren,” the boy perked up.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“How many Pokémon do you actually have?”

 

Eren looked back down at his drink in embarrassment. “Just these three. I got Charizard from my dad as a Charmander. I found Flareon as an Eevee close to our apartment, and got lucky enough to find a Fire Stone. Finally, I caught Skarmory in the Meadowlands so that I’d have enough on my team to enter the tournament.” He took a sip of his coffee.

 

“So you really haven’t caught many.”

 

“No. We really can’t afford much and that include balls for catching.”

 

Levi let out a sigh as he took a gulp of his tea. “I told you this before. You’ve got raw talent. You have the drive to win and that’s something to be commended.”

 

“Th-Thanks.”

 

“Who’s training you?”

 

“Well, we were,” Armin chimed in.

 

“Yeah,” Mikasa added. “Something wrong with that?”

 

Levi twisted his cup around on the table. “You guys are amateurs,” he scoffed.

 

“We might be amateurs, but we make a great team,” Armin solemnly argued. “Mikasa has a deadly calm, finds a weakness in her opponent, and exploits the hell out of it. Eren has passion for miles – ”

 

“And Armin is on his way to be the most brilliant battle theorist of his time,” Eren finished.

 

“So, you two battle as well?” Levi asked.

 

“Not as much as Eren, but yeah,” Armin answered, taking a swig of his green tea.

 

“Hm. Interesting.”

 

Levi let silence fall over the group. The clock hit midnight and the number of people in the Center gradually dwindled down. “Now, I have a proposition,” Levi began. “I want to train you, Eren.”

 

“What?! Really?” Eren gasped, eyes widening.

 

“Yeah. You need to get out of New York and train properly. Build your real team and hone your strengths by taking on the International Pokémon League.”

 

“Oh, hell no. He’s not going with you,” Mikasa protested.

 

“Shut up, Mikasa, I can do what I want,” he turned back to Levi. “That’d be awesome!”

 

“So, what, you’re just going to leave us behind?” she retorted.

 

Eren paused and looked at Mikasa and Armin. He’d be nothing without either of them and to leave them behind would be out of the question. “I can’t leave Armin and Mikasa. They’d have to come.”

 

“I’m willing to bring you two along. Eren _does_ need you. Significantly more than he needs a proper trainer. But, on one condition.”

 

“And that is?” Mikasa shot.

 

“I need to see your battle skills. I need to know that you can hold your own with Pokémon.”

 

“Fair enough,” Armin shrugged. “Mikasa?”

 

She glared at Levi and squinted. “Fine.”

 

“Wait,” Eren commented, “I thought a trainer had to defeat the leader in their region before moving to other gyms.”

 

“A couple years ago, Erwin Smith, commander of the League – ”

 

“I know who he is,” Eren interrupted.

 

“ _Let me finish,_ ” Levi hissed. “Erwin Smith enacted a charter that put a loophole in that rule.” He took another swig of his tea. “If a gym leader sees significant potential in a challenger, then they can take them under their wing and train them as they see fit.”

 

“With what money?” Mikasa tested, arms crossed.

 

“With a grant from the IPL. All it takes is a phone call which I can make in the morning.”

 

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin looked at each other and realized that they had nothing to lose.

 

“When can Armin and Mikasa show you what they’ve got?”

 

“Right now. Let’s go to the roof. You have access, Hanji, right?”

 

She nodded.

 

“Alright,” Levi decided. “Let’s see what you two can do.”

 

***

 

The five emerged on the roof of the Pokémon Center. The midnight breeze sent a chill through their bodies as the four with hot beverages unconsciously gripped them tightly.

 

“How many Pokémon do each of you have?” Levi asked.

 

“I have two,” Armin answered, digging into his jacket pocket and pulling out two balls.

 

“Same,” Mikasa said.

 

“Perfect. Here’s how it’ll go down,” Levi said moving to the center of the battleground painted on the roof. “The two of you will battle each other.”

 

“Uh, r-really?” Armin stammered, nervous about facing his friend and fierce battler.

 

“Yes. I’m not looking for victory, I’m looking for skills. I want to see that you can put up a fight.”

 

Both nodded and jogged to their respective boxes.

 

“Ready, Armin?” Mikasa called over.

 

“Ready!”

 

“Okay!” Hanji announced. “Mikasa and Armin 2-on-2 single battle! Battle start!”

 

“Go! Lucario!” Mikasa tossed out her first Poké Ball and released her Fighting and Steel type Pokémon.

 

“Come on, Kadabra!” Armin shouted sending his Psychic battle partner onto the field. Eren stood on the sidelines as he watched the two battle each other. _Come on, guys. This is our chance._

 

“Kadabra! Telekinesis!” Armin commanded. Kadabra’s eyes glowed purple and Lucario was hurtled into the air. “Now! Psybeam!” Lucario took the direct hit and fell to the ground.

 

“Come on, Lucario! Aura Sphere!” Lucario formed a glowing ball of energy and unleashed it towards Kadabra.

 

“Teleport!” Kadabra vanished and reappeared directly behind Lucario. The Aura Sphere redirected to strike Kadabra when it vanished again, just in time for the Aura Sphere to connect with Lucario’s back.

 

“Lucario!” Mikasa cried in shock at Armin’s deft use of Kadabra’s speed.

 

“Impressive,” Levi muttered, taking a sip of his tea.

 

“Told ya they were good,” Eren teased.

 

Levi grunted and turned his attention back to the battle. Lucario was taken by surprise and struggled to his feet. It thrust its paws downward and began to emit a red glow.

 

“It’s using Swords Dance,” Eren realized.

 

Armin watched intently as he determined Kadabra’s next move. “Kinesis!”

 

Kadabra, using its psychic abilities, forced Lucario to look at it as its spoons bent. Mikasa raised her eyebrow, “Okay then, Extreme Speed!”

 

In an instant, Lucario vanished and reappeared in the air above Kadabra. As Lucario came down to strike, Kadabra’s spoons bent again and Lucario fell to the ground, its attack missing. “Psychic!” Armin called.

 

Lucario was lifted off the ground, cloaked in an eerie blue light as it writhed it pain. Kadabra flung its opponent to the ground.

 

“Lucario is unable to battle! Armin leads 2-1!”

 

“Holy fucking shit, Armin,” Eren marveled, dumbfounded by his friend’s strategy. Mikasa reached into her pocket and enlarged her second Poké Ball and tossed it in the air. Poliwhirl emerged and took its fighting stance alongside its trainer.

 

“Kadabra! Reflect!” Armin spoke as Kadabra cloaked itself in a thin shield.

 

“Hypnosis, Poliwhirl!”

 

The spiral on Poliwhirl’s belly began emitting a beam that hit Kadabra dead on and lulled it to sleep. Mikasa cracked a pleased smile.

 

“Now! Wake-Up Slap!” Poliwhirl charged at its target and slammed its hand against the sleeping Kadabra driving it off of the battleground, up against a barricade surrounding the roof.

 

“Best investment the Center made,” Levi quipped, referring to the barricade.

 

“Kadabra is unable to battle!” Hanji declared. “We’re down to the last Pokémon! 1-1!”

 

“Go! Kirlia!” Armin roared. Kirlia gracefully landed alongside Armin.  “Magical Leaf!” Kirlia produced energy-laden, multicolored leaves and fired them directly at Poliwhirl.

 

“A direct hit,” Eren yawned. It was getting late. 

 

“Stop!” Levi announced, grinding everyone to a halt. “Return your Pokémon. I’ve seen enough.”

 

Armin and Mikasa obliged and walked over to Levi, Eren, and Hanji, out of breath and sweating.

 

“Well,” Armin panted, “how’d we do?”

 

Levi finished off his tea and crumpled the cup. “Looks like I have a phone call to make.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really fun to write out battles, just so you know.


	3. The Journey Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Levi prepare to leave New York City to begin their training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There aren't any battles in this chapter, but some Ereri tension ^^ Leave me some feedback? :3

“Yeah, yeah, I’m telling you, he’s the real deal. And his the two with him are great, too,” Levi muttered into his iPhone. He paced his living room in his loft and listened to Erwin Smith drone on the other end of the line. “Erwin, yeah, look it’s great that you managed to finally revive that Dome Fossil, but I need to know – can I get the grant for these kids?”

 

He stopped walking.

 

“What? Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he began growling into the phone, “what do you mean ‘he’s too old?’ There’s some serious fucking potential here for the League, Erwin, and I’ll be damned if I miss out on this. I’ll do it with your help or not, but don’t you think an investment into an eighteen-year-old who can pull off a mega evolution is worth it?”

 

Levi sighed.

 

“Well, make an exception! Erwin, _I_ can’t even pull off a mega evolution. Thousands of trainers, veterans even, have tried and failed. You know what? Never mind. I’ll do it myself. And when he becomes a legend, I’ll make sure everyone knows the IPL did nothing to help.”

 

He hung up and threw the phone against the couch.

 

“What was that about?” Eren asked, joining Levi in the living room. He handed him a mug with hot tea.

 

“Did you follow my _exact_ instructions?”

 

“I-I think so?”

 

“Hm,” Levi grunted before cautiously taking a sip. He smacked his lips together. “Eh, I’ve had worse.” He rested the cup on his coffee table. “Where’s your sister and Armin?”

 

“Mikasa just had to grab something from our apartment and leave the keys with the landlord. Armin’s on his way.”

 

Levi looked at his watch. 8:27 A.M. He took his mug and walked to the window overlooking the street below. Light rain was falling as the crowds flocked to work during rush hour. He heard Eren shuffling behind him. Eyes still trained outside, he spoke, “Will you just sit down? Christ.”

 

Eren obliged and stayed silent. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and played around with it. Levi turned and watched him for a moment before Eren noticed.

 

“What?”

 

Levi moved to the chair opposite Eren and replied, “Nothing.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Were you guys able to pack up what you need?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Good. Just one bag each, right?”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“Good, good.”

 

Levi took a sip of his tea and remained quiet. Eren kept his eyes trained on his new mentor. He wondered how many black tee shirts the man owned. _Can’t blame him though,_ Eren thought. _He looks…really good._ The bangs from his undercut accentuated his jawline. As he brought his hand up to drink his tea, Eren noticed every muscle shift in his arm. He became conscious of his own breathing.

 

“What’re you looking at, brat?”

 

“N-Nothing. Uh, Levi?”

 

“What.”

 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you why, um, why you couldn’t do the mega evolution. In that match with your Tyranitar.”

 

Levi reached over to the table and rested his mug on a Poké Ball coaster. He sighed.

 

“First,” he began, “her name is Tyra.”

 

Eren nodded.

 

“Second, I don’t know.” He stood up and looked out the window again. “I should’ve had it. I should’ve – why? What does it matter to you?”

 

“Is that why you want to train me?”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“So, you’re training me so you can figure out how to get the mega evolution to work for yourself, then.”

 

“Kid – ”

 

“And then you’ll just bail when you get it!” Eren’s voice became panicked.

 

“What the hell’s your problem?”

 

“Maybe Mikasa was right. Maybe we shouldn’t do this. I’m outta here.” He got off the couch and walked to the door. As he reached for his bag, Levi barked, “Eren!” a rare instance where Levi used his first name.

 

Eren froze. “What.”

 

“You’re going to have to chill the fuck out. I just went to the goddamn mat for you with Erwin. He’s saying – ”

 

“Saying what?”

 

“He’s saying that we might not get the funding because you’re too old at this point.”

 

“Too old?” Eren repeated. He turned around to face Levi again. “What do you mean ‘too old’?”

 

“I don’t know. Something about investing in younger trainers blah, blah, blah. But do you wanna know the last thing I told him? Of course you do, so sit the fuck down and listen.”

 

He did. Levi sat next to him on the couch, grabbed both of his shoulders, and turned him so that they were sitting face to face.

 

“I told him,” he explained, his voice low, “if the IPL won’t support it, then I’ll do this myself.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes,” he conceded. “Jaeger, you’re good. You have what it takes.”

 

Eren turned a light shade of pink.

 

“Oi, you’re blushing,” Levi remarked.

 

“I’m not!” Eren insisted, his shade darkening.

 

Levi rolled his eyes, finished off his tea, and moved to the kitchen. “You hungry?” he called, placing the mug in the sink.

 

“No. Thanks though.”

 

“Whatever you say.”

 

The doorbell chimed twice. Levi quickly strode to the intercom.

 

“Yeah?”

 

Mikasa’s voice rang through the speaker. “Let us up.”

 

Levi buzzed them through the front door of the apartment building. He turned to Eren. “Hey, I’m gonna get my bag. You ready for this, kid?”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I am,” Eren assured himself, smiling at Levi. Levi raised his eyebrow “Good.” He turned on his heels and walked into his room down the hallway.

 

Eren remained on the couch and surveyed the apartment. It was pretty bare, considering that Levi probably had money since he’d be able to support all four of them on a journey of this magnitude. A lone picture sat on the coffee table in a small wooden frame. Eren leaned forward to see who was in it. There was a younger looking Levi, same cold expression, but he was with that Hanji woman from the Pokémon Center and a taller, blond man with a silly grin on his face. All three looked like they were in their early twenties and in a city that _had_ to be outside of the States. _Looks like Tokyo?_ The iconic headquarters of the International Pokémon League seemed to be in the background with its enormous Poké Ball. He heard Levi coming back from his room.

 

“Hey, who’s the dude in the picture?”

 

“That’s the now-commander of the IPL.”

 

“Erwin Smith?!”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Where is it?”

 

“Tokyo. At the IPL Headquarters.”

 

“Bitchin’.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

There was a knock at the door. Eren leapt up and opened it to a tired Mikasa and a perky Armin.

 

“You never were a morning person, Mikasa,” Eren commented.

 

“Next time,” she growled, “ _you’re_ going back to the apartment.” Mikasa stormed past him, her travel bag in tow.

 

“Hey, Armin,” Eren said with a smile. Armin returned it with a toothy grin and walked into the apartment with his bag.

 

“So, what’s the plan?” Mikasa asked, pulling a granola bar out of her pocket.

 

“Well,” Levi began, pulling out a map, “there are a total of eight gyms dotted in eight cities throughout the world.” He pulled a Sharpie out of his pocket and circled each city as he pointed it out. “Obviously, my Dark gym here. One other in North America and it’s the Ghost gym in Mexico City. Then we go to the Psychic gym in Giza, Egypt. Up north to the Fire gym in Naples, the Ice gym in Moscow. Then, the Dragon gym in Beijing, down to the Water gym in Sydney, and back up to the Fighting gym in Tokyo, bringing us to the headquarters of the IPL where you’ll battle for the title of champion.”

 

Armin plopped onto the couch. “This is gonna be intense.”

 

“Yeah,” Mikasa agreed, swallowing the last of her snack. “You got the grant from the IPL to do all this?”

 

Levi shifted, folded up the map, and said, “Yeah.” He caught Eren’s eyes and shared a brief look of concern.

 

“Yeah, I overheard them on the phone,” Eren confirmed, fiddling with his mega stone around his neck. “We’re goin’ all the way.”

 

Armin was beaming. Even Mikasa had a grin of muffled excitement on her face.

 

“There’s one more thing,” Levi announced, stuffing the map into his bag. “When we stop at the Pokémon Center for your Pokédexes and Trainer Cards, we’re going to stock up on balls and medicines and then you’re going to deposit all but _one_ of your Pokémon into the Center’s database.”

 

“What? Why?” Eren worried, sharing the same look with Armin and Mikasa.

 

“Because if you’re going to train to be the best, you have to start from the bare minimum. One Pokémon you trust. Now, the three of you tell me now who you’re traveling with,” Levi demanded.

 

“He’s got a point,” Mikasa sighed. “I’ll stick with Lucario.”

 

“I’ll take Kadabra,” Armin decided.

 

“And I’ll stay with Charizard,” said Eren, clutching the respective Poké Ball. He remembered his father giving him the Poké Ball when he was ten. Eren had grown up with Charmander, through his evolution to Charmeleon, and the final form of Charizard only a little over a year ago.

 

“Jaeger, I have something for you,” Levi said, opening a compartment in his bag. He pulled out a leather holster with a small compartment in the middle.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“It’s for your Charizard. I was waiting for you to say you’d travel together. You place the Charizardite X in here,” he indicated the compartment, “and Charizard wears it around his neck.”

 

“Wow,” Eren whispered. “Thanks, Levi.”

 

“It’s nothing. Now let’s get going, brats. There’s work to be done.”

 

***

 

The Pokémon Center was significantly quieter at ten in the morning than it was the other night. Their footsteps echoed as they walked into the main room with the reception desk. Hanji sat on the opposite side.

 

“Yo, four-eyes,” Levi spat.

 

Hanji’s head perked up. “Hey, guys! You’re here for your Pokédexes, right?”

 

The three aspiring trainers nodded eagerly.

 

“Such cuties. Alright,” she stood up and came around the desk, “follow me.” The doctor led the group up the flight of stairs to the left of the Center, opposite the side of the Starbucks. On the second floor of the building, there was a desk with an attendant, a row of PCs, and two hallways with signs over the doorway that read “IPL Lodging.”

 

“Every Pokémon Center has this second floor. It’s funded by the IPL and is used by traveling trainers for free, as long as they have a registered Pokédex with a Trainer Card,” Hanji explained. “The PCs are maintained by the central server in the IPL headquarters that stores and protects your Pokémon in a maximum security facility. The only way to access your Pokémon is to scan your Trainer Card and Pokédex at the same time.”

 

“It’s two-level security to make sure that not just anyone gets your Pokémon,” Levi added. “Now let’s get you set up, because we need to fucking move.”

 

The five walked to the desk.

 

“Hi! Welcome to the International Pokémon League, New York City! What can I help you with today?”

 

Levi spoke. “We need three Trainer Cards and Pokédexes for these trainers.”

 

“Very well. Who’s first?”

 

“I’ll go first!” Armin blurted out. Everyone’s head turned to look at the boy who usually was soft-spoken and timid.

 

“Great!” the receptionist chimed. “Name?”

 

“Armin Arlert.”

 

“Date of birth?”

 

“November 3, 1996.”

 

She twisted the camera perched on top of her computer monitor in Armin’s direction. “Please face the camera.” She snapped a photo and her computer processed the information. “Done! Your Trainer ID is AA845102 and here,” she reached below the desk and retrieved a green plastic card, “is your Trainer Card.” The receptionist opened her drawer and pulled out red device the size of a cellphone. Turning it on, it prompted for Trainer Card identification. She slid the Card into the base of the device, allowing it to read the microchip on it.

 

A cool voice rang out from the device, “Trainer identity confirmed. Armin Arlert. AA845102.”

 

“There you are Mr. Arlert! Your Pokédex and Trainer Card are ready for you.” She handed them to him. “Please keep them safe as they are your means of entry to all countries that recognize the International Pokémon League!”

 

“Awesome,” Armin breathed, beaming at his IPL credentials.

 

“I’ll go next,” Mikasa said, slipping in front of Eren.

 

“Hey! I wanna go!” Eren whined.

 

“Mikasa Ackerman. February 10, 1996,” she began, grinning at Eren behind her. Her brother growled.

 

The receptionist snapped her photo and issued her Trainer ID, as well as her card and Pokédex.

 

“Trainer identity confirmed. Mikasa Ackerman. MA845103.”

 

“My turn, thank you very much,” Eren declared pushing his way to the desk.”

 

“Eren Jaeger. March 30, 1996.”

 

The same process was repeated for Eren and the voice from the Pokédex said for the third time, “Trainer identity confirmed. Eren Jaeger. EJ845104.”

 

“Will that be all today?”

 

“Yes, thank you,” Levi curtly replied. He turned to Hanji and handed her cash. “Hanji, take this and get ten Poké Balls and medicinal items for each of them.” She nodded and scurried down the stairs. Levi turned to the remaining three, “Let’s deposit your Pokémon and get going.”

 

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin each took a PC and placed their extra Poké Balls on the respective pad below. They inserted the chips on their Trainer Cards and affixed their Pokédexes on the dock. The screen on the PC booted up. They followed the instructions and deposited their Pokémon into the first box available. Upon confirmation, the pad buzzed and the Poké Balls disappeared before their eyes, converted to electrical energy and stored far away in safety.

 

The ran down the stairs, meeting Hanji at the bottom. “Here you kids go!” She handed them three plastic bags with miniaturized Poké Balls, Potions, and Full Heals. “Have fun! Take pictures! I’ll stalk your Instagrams!”

 

Levi rolled his eyes. “Shut up, you idiot. I’ll call you when we land. Keep the gym under control, okay?”

 

“You got it!”

 

“Let’s go. Bye, Hanji.” Levi pushed forward and marched out of the Pokémon Center into the misty Times Square. He pulled out a pair of leather, fingerless gloves and put them on. _Here we go_ , he thought, balling his hands into fists. _Let’s make some history._

 

“Ready, guys?” Eren shouted, snapping Levi back to the present.

 

“Where to first, Levi?” Armin prodded.

 

“We’re flying to California and we’re going to train our way down into Mexico.”

 

“On foot?!” Eren gaped.

 

“No, dumbass. The IPL will loan me a car. Gym leader perks. Now, _come on._ Our flight’s in three hours.”

 

***

 

“Fucking hell,” Levi gasped, stumbling through airport security. “Next time we have to get to the airport, we’re leaving way earlier. We almost missed the check-in.”

 

“Well, we would’ve made it if you would’ve just stood on that shuttle instead of waiting for the next one,” Eren snapped back, close behind.

 

“Excuse me for not wanting to get bumped by filthy people.”

 

“Guys, come on,” Armin intervened. “Let’s just get to the gate.”

 

The four walked along the corridor and saw their gate ahead. Eren stopped in his tracks. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

 

“What?” Mikasa asked.

 

“Shit, Kirschtein is on this flight. What the hell’s he doing here? I can’t let him see me.”

 

“Oh, grow up,” Levi hissed. “You’re better than that smug asshole.”

 

“Either way, he beat me on a public stage.”

 

“I’ll beat you on a public stage if you don’t shut the hell up about this.”

 

“Jaeger?!” Jean yelled, rising from his seat at the gate.

 

“Oh dammit,” Eren whispered. “What’re you doing here, Kirschtein?” he asked him, meeting Jean halfway.

 

“I could ask you the same question. But if you must know, I’m flying out to the IPL’s Los Angeles branch to train in their elite facility. One of the _many_ perks of winning the tournament.”

 

Eren scoffed. “Well, I’m going to be taking on the International Pokémon League’s gyms around the world.”

 

“ _You_ beat Levi in Manhattan?”

 

“I believe I heard my name,” Levi broke in, his voice deadly calm.

 

“Wh-What’re you doing here? With him?”

 

“Eren happens to be a trainer of interest and is being sponsored by the IPL to take on the gyms. Now, we’ll be on our way. Come, Eren. Mikasa, Armin, you too.”

 

The four walked away and sat on the opposite side of the gate.

 

“I hate that jerk,” Eren seethed. “He thinks he’s all that. Just wait. I’ll be the champion and kick his ass once and for all.”

 

“Kid, you need to calm down,” Levi responded. “Right now, you need to forget everything you thought you knew about battling. We’re going to start with the basics.”

 

Eren sighed. “Okay.”

 

The PA rang out over the chatter of the gate. “United Airlines flight 850 non-stop to Los Angeles is now boarding.”

 

_Here we go,_ Eren thought. _Let’s make some history._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 to come soon! Let me know what you think!


	4. Power-Up Punch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When an unexpected turn of events delays the arrival to Los Angeles, the four begin their training elsewhere. Eren begins to realize that he feels something for Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes some Ereri :D

“Look at ‘im,” Eren sneered, nudging Armin to the right of him. “Sittin’ up there in business class.” Armin sighed and rolled his eyes.

 

“Can you cut it with the Kirschtein crap?” he urged. “Levi’s already told you plenty of times and we’re only halfway through this flight.”

 

“Jeez, sorry,” Eren replied. “Someone’s a little testy.”

 

“Sorry. It’s been a little bumpy and I’m not a huge fan of turbulence.”

 

Levi took the earbuds out of his ears. “You brats alright?”

 

Eren and Armin nodded furiously.

 

“How ‘bout you, kid?” he motioned to Mikasa, waiting to put his earbuds back in.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

She got stuck with the aisle seat in the middle of the cabin, across the way from Levi and the two boys. Armin insisted on the window seat, Eren pushed to be by Armin, and Levi said that he should always be next to his pupil. Eren glanced out the window and saw the sun bouncing off the sheet of clouds. In the distance, he saw a huge creature soar up and down through the blanket. Its black body was streaked with red and yellow markings that glowed in the light.

 

“Whoa, what’s that?” Eren gasped.

 

“What’s what?” Armin looked over to the window. Nothing was there.

 

“But – but there was a big black Pokémon with – with markings, and – ”

 

“Now what’re you blubbering about?” Levi snapped, taking his earbuds out again.

 

The plane shuddered.

 

“What the fuck?” Eren whispered. Levi could hear him hyperventilating. “Relax, kid.” He rested his hand on Eren’s and gripped it tightly. _Huh?_ Levi’s hand was surprisingly warm.

 

Eren looked over at Armin, who was clutching his complimentary pillow, eyes closed. Eren put his arm around his friend. He glanced over at Mikasa, eyes darting around the plane, ever vigilant.

 

The plane shook violently. This time, they could hear it groan beneath them. Passengers began getting restless, muttering to each other worries about the plane. This wasn’t ordinary turbulence.

 

 _Why aren’t they announcing something?_ Levi thought. He looked up. _The seatbelt sign isn’t on either…_

 

“What the hell is that?” Eren gaped as a gigantic aircraft rose into view on the opposite side of the plane. A split-second later, a deafening crash radiated through the cabin as an enormous, metal wing sliced through the middle of the plane, twelve rows ahead of them. The rush of the outside air began sucking passengers out of the plane, hurtling them to the ground below. Eren watched as the plane vanished beneath them, leaving 15,000 feet of air between him and a death sentence. He felt Armin seize his jacket and Levi’s hand still holding his. Eren watched the mysterious aircraft hurtle away. _It’s going in the direction of that black Pokémon....Wait_ – _Mikasa?!_  

 

“Mikasa?!” Eren bellowed. “MIKASA?!” He furiously searched the airspace and saw her below, her scarf billowing in the rushing air. _Oh my god._

 

Levi released Eren’s hand and grabbed a Poké Ball off his belt and released a Hydreigon. He leapt on its back and darted after Mikasa. Eren followed suit, releasing Charizard and mounting him with Armin. They soared through the sky, safely on the back of the part-Flying type and caught up with Levi and Mikasa. The flew within earshot of each other.

 

“You okay?!” Levi called.

 

“We’re good,” Eren wavered. Armin smiled weakly. “Mikasa! You okay?”

 

“Yeah. What the fuck was that?”

 

“No idea,” Levi admitted. “Let’s get onto the ground.”

 

The four glided down through the clouds and were greeted by the passengers safe on the backs of Pokémon. Eren let out a deep sigh of relief.

 

“Looks like everyone’s okay,” Armin said.

 

“Yeah,” Eren nodded, looking back over at Levi, the warmth of his hand still fresh in his own.

 

“Hey!” Levi barked. “Follow me – you’re training starts now.”

 

He, Mikasa, and Hydreigon raced forward toward a sprawling expanse of green in the mountains. Eren nudged Charizard who flew faster to keep up as the smell of pine and snow filled the air. A flock of Swanna and their baby Ducklett flew by. “Look!” Eren called out, laughing. His eyes lit up as they flew side by side with the wild Pokémon. Levi looked back and saw his trainee reaching out and petting the White Bird Pokémon. His green eyes were shining in the sunlight that poured through the breaking clouds. Mikasa noticed.

 

“What’re you looking at?” she asked.

 

“Huh? Oh, nothing,” he quickly replied, directing Hydreigon to the nearing Pokémon Center among the trees. “Come on, brats!”

 

The four touched down right in front of the Pokémon Center.

 

“Well,” Armin said, eagerly leaping to the ground, “that was fun.”

 

***

 

Eren, Armin, and Mikasa sat at a table on the third floor of the Pokémon Center scarfing down their fast food lunch from the Burger King kiosk. According to Levi’s explanation, the third floor of each Pokémon Center was for food and non-Pokémon related shopping for things like clothes, human medicine, and, of course, food.

 

“Where’s Levi?” Armin asked, shoving a handful of fries in his mouth.

 

“I’unno,” Eren answered, mouth full of burger. “Suttin’ ‘bout,” he swallowed, “something about getting us a car.”

 

“What do you guys think that thing was?” Mikasa wondered, already finished with her meal.

 

“No idea,” Eren admitted. “But I think they were after that black Pokémon I saw.”

 

“You don’t think our flight was the target?” Armin broke in.

 

“No. You should’ve seen that thing. It was enormous. It looked like it was controlling the clouds. It had these – these yellow markings. Like something ancient. And it looked like there were red things on its wings. I wish I could’ve gotten closer to get the Pokédex open on it.”

 

Eren reached into his pocket and pulled out his Pokédex and Trainer Card. He hadn’t really looked at them since he received them that morning. The Card was green with holographic Poké Balls and the initials “IPL” that shone in the light as it was tilted. The picture was actually pretty good. _At least my eyes aren’t closed._ The chip was set just to the left of the picture, right on the edge of the Card. Lining the bottom, there were eight spaces for badges. _I’m gonna fill them all. I’ve got to._

 

“Alright, you little shits,” Levi announced, “turns out the IPL can’t get me a car until tomorrow, so this Center is our spot for the night. I’ve already got us into two rooms on the second floor. Mikasa and Armin, you’re in one. Me and this brat are in the second.”

 

“Whoa,” Mikasa warned. “I don’t know if I’m – ”

 

“As his trainer, I have to be with him at all times,” Levi reminded her. “You can fight it, but I can send you home packing.”

 

“Fine,” she snarled, swiping the garbage off the table and taking it to the can. Levi snickered to himself and looked at Eren. He felt his palms start sweating. _Christ._ Wiping his hands on his pants, he said, “Ready to go?”

 

“Go where?” Eren asked.

 

“We’re going to start our training,” Levi replied, grabbing the boy’s arm. He yanked him out of his seat and they moved to the stairs. He noticed Armin and Mikasa still at the table. “Well? You coming?”

 

***

 

“Alright, now tell me what you know about the mechanics of battle,” Levi said, walking out of the Pokémon Center to a clearing surrounded by the woods.

 

“Um, well,” Eren stuttered.

 

“Type matching. Knowing weaknesses and resistances is key to winning any battle,” Mikasa interjected.

 

Levi pointed at her. “Yes. How many types are there?”

 

“Eighteen,” Armin answered. “Normal, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Ground, Rock, Steel, Psychic, Ghost, Dark, Bug, Fighting, Flying, Ice, Dragon, Fairy, Poison.”

 

Eren and Mikasa looked at Armin in awe. “Dude.”

 

“Nice job,” Levi admitted. “Now,” he tossed an Ultra Ball into the clearing and released his Hydreigon, “this is Fury. Have any of you seen a Hydreigon in person before?”

 

They shook their heads.

 

“First thing you’re going to do the _second_ you see a new Pokémon is open your Pokédex and aim it at the Pokémon.” He waited. “Well, go on!”

 

They pulled their Pokédexes out of their pockets, pressed the switch to open them, and aimed them at Fury. The familiar voice rang out from all three:

 

“Hydreigon. The Brutal Pokémon and the evolved form of Zweilous, final form of Deino. Dark/Dragon Type. Their heads on their arms do not have brains. They use all three heads to destroy and consume everything.”

 

The image of the Pokémon was registered in the Pokédex as the voice trailed off. The page displayed the text and typing.

 

“What type move do you use against a Dark/Dragon type, Jaeger?” Levi asked Eren directly.

 

“Uh, I-I guess, um,” he glanced to Armin.

 

“Don’t look at him,” Levi shot. “Answer for yourself. What type move do you use?”

 

“Fairy?”

 

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

 

“Fairy. Or Ice.”

 

“Those work. What else?”

 

Eren thought back to his first match with Levi.

 

“Fighting. For the Dark typing. Bug, too.”

 

“Good. If you use the encyclopedia programmed into your Pokédexes, you’ll find a type chart for both single types and dual types. Study it. Learn it. Memorize it. You _must_ know these match-ups. If you don’t, you’ll never get anywhere. Now,” he said, returning Fury to the ball, “what else can you tell me about typing?”

 

“Isn’t there a Same Type Attack Bonus?” Eren meekly asked.

 

“Yes,” Levi affirmed. “STAB is an extremely useful phenomenon that boosts the power of attacks that match the Pokémon’s type.”

 

“Which is why your Greninja’s Protean ability is useful,” Armin chimed in.

 

“Yeah. But, typing isn’t all there is to Pokémon. There’s stats. Now, there’s no way to put a number on stats yet, but each Pokémon is unique. If you caught two Rattata, they would have distinctly different strengths. There are six different stats that you can leverage to make sure your Pokémon is doing the best it can and is using its power to its advantage. They’re HP, Attack, Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense.”

 

The three looked at Levi with blank expressions. He sighed.

 

“Am I going to fast?”

 

“No, no,” Eren said, yawning. “Stats. HP and stuff.”

 

Levi threw his arms up. “I’m sorry, is this boring you?”

 

“No! It’s just – ”

 

“Just what? You think you can do this on your own?”

 

“No, I just thought we’d actually be using our Pokémon, not just listening to you talk.”

 

“Fine. You wanna use your Pokémon? Let’s go then. Release Charizard. Now.”

 

Eren leapt up and tossed Charizard’s Poké Ball into the clearing, releasing his lone Pokémon.

 

“What’s Charizard’s strength? What stat do you think is its best?”

 

“Attack,” Eren stated.

 

“Okay. What moves does Charizard know?”

 

“Uh, Outrage, Thunderpunch, Fire Blast – ”

 

“Why Fire Blast?”

 

“Because it’s a Fire type move?”

 

“You just told me that Attack is its best stat. Why would you teach it a Special Attack move?”

 

“W-Well, uh – ”

 

“Do you know about the move Flare Blitz?”

 

“Fl-Flare – ”

 

“Oi, stop your stuttering. If you’re ever going to be a successful trainer, you have to be confident in everything you say. If you know something, say it. If you don’t, admit it. Clear?”

 

Eren clenched his fist and dug into the ground. “Clear.”

 

“Flare Blitz is a physical Fire type attack. It’ll capitalize on Charizard’s Attack and do major damage, especially with its mega evolution ability. The downside is that you take a little recoil damage. But that’s a small price to pay for the havoc it’ll wreak. What else does he know?”

 

“Last move he knows is Dragon Claw.”

 

“So two Dragon type moves?”

 

Eren nodded.

 

“That’s stupid. He needs to forget Dragon Claw. Keep Outrage. Lose Fire Blast. Learn Flare Blitz. And keep Thunder Punch. That leaves one move left.” Levi dug into his pocket and pulled out a small black case. He shuffled through small discs and pulled out one labeled TM98. It was about the side of an SD card and was a light shade of brick red. Levi handed it to Eren. “Here. Use this on Charizard.” He analyzed the machine.

 

“How’s this work?”

 

Levi rolled his eyes. “You’ve never used a TM?”

 

Eren shook his head.

 

“How does Charizard – ”

 

“Our father gave Charmander to Eren and it already knew the moves it knows now,” Mikasa interrupted.

 

“That was before he left,” Eren added.

 

Levi took a deep breath and ran his hand across his chin. “Okay. A TM is a Technical Machine. It contains the knowledge of a move that a Pokémon can’t learn by natural means, but has the capability to know. It sends two _painless_ jolts into their head that rewire the part of the brain that knows moves.”

 

“A jolt?!” Armin questioned. “How do you know this isn’t dangerous?”

 

“It’s been tested and refined over decades. The current _legal_ TMs in circulation have the seal of the IPL on the back. You two,” Levi called Mikasa and Armin over, “take a look. Jaeger, flip it over.”

 

The three examined the TM. On the back of the disc, they noticed the letters “IPL” imprinted within a Poké Ball. There was a raised serial number beneath it, indicating the uniqueness of the disc.

 

“Cool,” Armin commented.

 

“So what do I do to make this work?” Eren asked.

 

“Okay, here. Charizard needs to forget Dragon Claw, right?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“On the front, you press this small button right here and say the name of the move you want your Pokémon to forget.”

 

Levi pressed the button and held it in front of Eren’s mouth, almost shoving it down his throat. He motioned for him to speak.

 

Eren leaned forward. “D-Dragon Claw.”

 

“Good. What this does is links the move to the command. The first electrical impulse will target the area of the brain that activates when you say this command and ‘erase’ the move. Now, you press the button again and say the move you’re trying to teach.”

 

“Which is?”

 

Levi smirked. “Power-Up Punch.”

 

“What’s that do?” Mikasa asked.

 

“Power-Up Punch is a newer move that does physical damage and increases your Attack power. It’s nice coverage for Rock types that might come after you and Ice type switch-ins when you mega evolve.”

 

“Clever,” Armin admitted.

 

Levi pressed the button again and held it up to Eren’s mouth again. “Power-Up Punch!”

 

“Great. Now, you place it on the top of your Pokémon’s head,” Levi explained, placing the TM between his fingers. “C’mere, Charizard.”

 

Charizard grunted and obeyed Levi’s command.

 

“Whoa,” Eren whispered.

 

Levi shot him a look. “What?”

 

“Charizard never listens to anyone else,” Eren said, surprised. “He must, um, really trust you.” Eren scratched his head, turning pink.

 

Levi shrugged. “Whatever. Let’s keep going.”

 

He placed the TM on top of Charizard’s head and kept his finger on the disc, holding it in place. “Ready?” Charizard closed his eyes. “Three, two, one….” He pressed the button once more and sent the electricity into Charizard. In a matter of seconds, it was done. Levi removed the TM and placed it back in his case.

 

“How do you know it worked?” Armin asked skeptically.

 

“Give it a shot. Use it on that tree over there.”

 

Eren rubbed Charizard’s head where the machine was. “Ready, buddy?” Charizard let out a happy growl. “Let’s go!” Eren pointed at the tree. “Power-Up Punch!”

 

Charizard launched forward, pulling his fist back. It began to glow as he thrust it into the trunk of the pine tree. It was like magic. Above, a flock of Taillow scattered from the tree.

 

“Hell yeah! Awesome!” Eren bellowed.

 

Armin and Mikasa cheered behind Eren. Levi let a genuine smile flash across his face as he watched the three get so hyped up. Eren looked over to Levi and their eyes met. The kid was beaming and he caught Levi smiling back. They both turned pink as their smiles turned into awkward chuckling. Eren walked over to Levi.

 

“Um, thanks, Levi,” Eren stuttered.

 

“I-It’s nothing.” Levi cleared his thoat. “Just tryin’ to be a good mentor.”

 

“If it means anything, I don’t think I’d want anyone else.”

 

Armin and Mikasa exchanged a look as the two continued their conversation.

 

“Really?” Levi ran his hands through his hair, trying to look nonchalant as his heart raced.

 

“Y-Yeah. Heh,” Eren smiled again, now a deeper shade of pink.

 

“Okay, you two,” Mikasa interrupted. “Let’s get back to training.”

 

***

 

The three trainees sat in Armin and Mikasa’s room in the Pokémon Center while Levi took a phone call outside. Eren stood at the window and watched their mentor pace back and forth in front of the lake.

 

“So any idea why there are only eight gyms in the entire world?” Mikasa wondered, playing with Lucario’s Poké Ball.

 

“The IPL streamlined the gyms once they made the international alliance,” Armin explained. “They found it easier to have eight official, badge-awarding gyms. That way it wouldn’t discourage challengers. There _are_ unofficial gyms throughout the world, though. I think if you include them all you got every type covered.”

 

“Interesting,” Mikasa replied. “Think you’ll challenge them all, Eren?”

 

Eren’s eyes were still out the window.

 

“Eren,” Mikasa called.

 

No response.

 

“ _Eren._ ”

 

“Huh? What?”

 

“What’s going on with you?” Armin probed. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“We saw that little exchange you had with Levi.”

 

“I dunno what you’re talking about,” he shot, sitting on one of the twin beds.

 

“Eren, come on,” Armin pushed. “The two of you were blushing like crazy. Is there something going on?”

 

“Don’t be stupid. He’s not into me.”

 

“But you’re into him, aren’t you?” Mikasa interjected.

 

Eren looked at her. He was caught and he knew it. “No! I-I don’t know what you’re – shut up!” He was redder than his Poké Ball.

 

“You _do_ like him! I knew it!” Armin piped. “I knew it from the second you saw that battle video!”

 

“What’re you going to do?” Mikasa asked.

 

“I don’t like him, so nothing.”

 

“But, Eren, I can tell – ”

 

“ _Nothing,_ ” Eren cut Armin off. “I’m gonna get a bite. Be back later.”

 

Eren marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

 

Mikasa heaved a sigh as she flipped through her Pokédex. “Sometimes he’s such a damn idiot.”

 

***

 

By the time Eren got back to the rooms, night had fallen. He spent the entire afternoon eating fries and playing with his Pokédex. He’d found the Movedex, TM listings, and type charts. _A lot of stuff to remember_ , he thought. He stopped in front of Armin and Mikasa’s room and decided to just go to his and Levi’s to get some sleep. It had been a long day. _I just need to fuckin’ lie down._ He took out his card key and unlocked the door. He walked into the room and saw a shirtless Levi undressing in front of the mirror.

 

“Ah – !”

 

“Oh, shit. Didn’t hear you out there.”

 

Levi walked over to the bed and pulled on a black tank. He pulled off his pants and sat down in his boxers. He looked at Eren, still frozen by the door, his face deep red.

 

“What?”

 

“N-Nothing, uh, I’m gonna use the, um, bathroom, I’ll-I’ll be right out, yeah,” Eren spattered, inching his way over to the bathroom. He slipped in and shut the door. He turned on the sink and splashed his face with water and looked in the mirror.

 

_Oh, god, what’s wrong with me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the lovely comments!! ^_^ I'm glad to hear that you guys are enjoying it! If you guys have ideas or feedback, comment or contact me at dragoniteswatch.tumblr.com :D


	5. Fight or Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor forces our team to move out a little ahead of schedule.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

“What the hell do you mean ‘you missed it’?”

 

“We-We’re sorry, Miss Ymir.”

 

“You’re damn right you’re sorry,” Ymir hissed, her Chandelure’s flames flaring with its trainer’s anger. “How do you _miss_ the one goddamn shiny Rayquaza in the _entire_ world that we’ve been _tracking for_ _six. Fucking. Months!_ ” she bellowed, hands punctuating each word.

 

“W-Well, we hit a passenger flight – ”

 

“ _WHAT,_ ” she roared. “Oh my – that means people saw you. Tell me you have – ”

 

“ – the passenger list, ma’am.”

 

She snatched it from the grunt’s hands. “Gimme that.” She paced as she perused the list in the dimly lit basement, littered with boxes of Pokémon supplies. She stopped, eyes trained on two names. “Is this right?”

 

“Y-Yeah – ”

 

“You’re sure?”

 

“Yes, Miss Ymir.”

 

“Eren Jaeger was on this flight? That boy who can perform a mega evolution? With _Levi_?”

 

“I guess – ”

 

“Wait. This means he's a _protégé!_ He's _training_ the boy?! Ohoho, track his TC and Pokédex activity. And let our American associates know that he’s become a person of interest. We need to get our hands on that kid.”

 

“Which one are we tracking?”

 

“Both,” Ymir pulled out her phone. “I have to make a call, too. Oh, and I still want that Rayquaza.” She swaggered over to the stairs, and dialed. "Yo, Annie, I think we're back in business..."

 

***

 

Eren looked over to the red light of the digital clock on the bedside table between himself and Levi. _5:16am_. He sighed and continued to stare at the ceiling, as he had been doing for the past three hours. Levi had fallen asleep quicker than Eren had expected. He thought back to the Pokémon he saw just before the plane had been hit. _What was it,_ he thought. _It was so majestic looking. Powerful._ He sat up and hugged his knees to his chest.

 

“Why are you still awake?” he heard Levi mutter.

 

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

 

“That’d imply that I was asleep.”

 

“Are you alright?”

 

Levi shifted to his back and looked at the ceiling. “Who’re you, my mother? I’m fine.”

 

“Why can’t you sleep?”

 

“What’s it matter? I should be asking _you_ that question.”

 

“Well, you have to drive us to LA tomorrow and you need sleep.”

 

“I’ll get to sleep eventually, so fuck off.”

 

Eren scoffed. “Whatever. I’m going to get some tea from Starbucks. I’ll guess I’ll see you later.”

 

“Yeah,” Levi grunted, turning over.

 

Eren climbed out of his bed, pulled on his jeans and grabbed his tee shirt. He pulled it over his head as he walked out of the room, letting the door slam behind him. He heard Levi groan through the door and say, “Fucking brat!” as he walked away. He laughed to himself as he tousled his own hair and jogged up the stairs. The food court was deserted and lifeless, except for the flurry of early morning activity at the coffee stand. Eren strolled through the array of tables and chairs and approached the barista.

 

“Hey,” he called to the teenager furiously preparing coffee for the morning rush that would soon flood the floor. “Can I get a grande black tea?”

 

“Sure,” the kid replied, punching in the order and taking Eren’s crumpled up money that he dug for in his pants. “Just a minute.”

 

“Mhm.” Eren took his Pokédex out of his back pocket and flipped it open. He scanned over the type-matching chart again, silently quizzing himself. He mindlessly ran his hand over the key around his neck when he got an idea. _Let’s see,_ he thought. _This thing has a search function, so let’s see if…_

 

“Ah!” There was a section about mega evolution he found using the Pokédex search:

 

 

> “Mega evolution is a recently discovered phenomenon that has changed the way many Pokémon scholars view the bond between Pokémon and their trainers. Mega evolution can only be achieved when the Pokémon and its trainer have connected them on an emotional, psychological, and physical level. The use of the Key Stone, or the trainer’s stone, will activate the Pokémon’s mega stone and begin the transformation. A high amount of energy and willpower is needed to successfully activate the mega stone and perform the mega evolution. Many trainers that have successfully performed a mega evolution have reported extreme fatigue and, in few cases, an inability to continue a battle. The discovery of mega evolution is credited to – ”

 

_What?_

 

“You’re tea, sir?”

 

Eren jolted back into reality. “Oh, yeah. Thanks.” He scooped up his cup and sat at the nearest table. He read the last line of text over again. _There’s no way that’s right._

 

 

> “The discovery of mega evolution is credited to Dr. Grisha Jaeger.”

 

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Eren whispered to himself.

 

“Tell you what?” a familiar voice echoed throughout the empty hall. Eren gasped.

 

“Christ, you scared the shit out of me. What’re you doing here anyway?” he replied, sipping his drink. “Didn’t seem like you wanted much company before.”

 

“I didn’t. And I still don’t. But I’m bored and awake.” Levi looked closer at Eren and noticed his brow furrowing. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing,” Eren lied.

 

“Don’t be a bitch. Tell me what’s wrong. I don’t usually ask shit like this, so take advantage of it.”

 

Eren rolled his eyes and sighed. “For once, can you not be a fucking asshole, then? If I tell you, can you take me seriously for a second because this is some dead-ass personal shit.”

 

Levi raised his eyebrow. “Fine.” He pulled out a chair across from Eren and sat down, resting his chin in his hands.

 

“Do you know who Grisha Jaeger is?”

 

“No.”

 

“Really? You’re an IPL gym leader and you don’t – whatever. Here,” he handed Levi his Pokédex with the mega evolution page up.

 

“Okay, so he discovered mega evolution, so – wait,” Levi paused as he put two and two together. “He’s not your – ”

 

“ – father? Yeah. He is.”

 

“And you didn’t know?”

 

“He never said anything to me. He left when I was ten. Just came into my room in the middle of the night and said to protect our mom. He gave me the mega stone and Charizardite X and just…left,” Eren explained, leaning on his hand.

 

The two sat in silence.

 

“You sure that’s all he said?”

 

“I vaguely remember something about keeping something safe, but that’s it.”

 

Levi paused. “Do you think someone might’ve been after him?”

 

“I don’t know. Don’t really care either.” Eren took another swig of tea.

 

“Let me tell you something, kid. Mega evolution is a major area of interest for a lot of people. Especially criminal organizations. I wouldn’t be surprised if he left to keep you safe.”

 

“You’re taking his side?” Eren hissed.

 

“No, I’m not. Chill out. I’m just saying. It’s a possibility.”

 

Eren sighed again and clicked his Pokédex shut. He took the key around his neck off and placed it in front of him. The stone glowed softly, nestled in the handle of the key. Levi pulled a chain out from his pocket and laid it next to Eren’s key. It was another stone. Levi’s wasn’t in anything, just attached to the chain.

 

“This is my mega stone, obviously,” Levi remarked.

 

“Both of us are lucky as fuck to have these. I got mine when I was in the Andes. I had just caught a Larvitar, who you’ve met already as Tyra, when an earthquake hit. One of the tremors caused the cave I was in to collapse before I could get out. When the walls started to fall in, I saw this stone get dislodged. I knew what it was since mega evolution was pretty new and plastered all over the news, so I grabbed it as fast as I could and tried to get out, but the entrance was blocked by boulders. I released Larvitar and the two of us were able to dig our way through. When we were in daylight, I saw that she was holding something which I would find out later was Tyranitarite.”

 

“Damn. That’s lucky as hell,” Eren remarked.

 

“Yeah. I’ve never really told anyone that story, so don’t you go mouthing off to Armin or Mikasa about that shit.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“And don’t call me ‘sir.’”

 

Eren chuckled as he took another gulp of his tea. The two took back their respective stones and hung them around their necks.

 

“So why couldn’t you sleep?” Eren asked again.

 

“Because I don’t like sleeping in places that aren’t home.”

 

“Fair enough.”

 

“You’re pretty far from home, aren’t you Levi?” A gruff, unfamiliar voice rang out from the entrance to the food court. The figure briskly walked over to the two as Levi stood up.

 

“Kid, get – ”

 

The man interrupted. “I have strict orders to bring you two directly to Los Angeles.” He was twice the size of Levi, bearded, and was in sunglasses. He wore a suit with a “T” emblazoned on the insignia of mega evolution which was stitched on his lapel.

 

“But, what about – ”

 

“ _Shut up,_ ” Levi hissed. “Unfortunately, we’re not going with you,” Levi apologized, sarcastically.

 

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice,” the man replied.

 

Levi moved like lightning as he thrust a punch into the man’s gut and swept him to the ground in two quick moves. He grabbed Eren’s arm and bolted with him back towards their rooms.

 

“We didn’t have much – Do you need anything from the room?” Levi shot at Eren.

 

Eren remembered that most of their things were lost with the plane. “Yeah I’m good.”

 

“Okay. I'm going to see if the car is ready. Get Mikasa and Armin and meet me behind the Center. And _hurry._ ”

 

Eren nodded. He could tell this wasn’t the time for questions. He watched as Levi dashed down the stairs. _This must be really bad._ Eren ran for Mikasa and Armin’s room. When he reached the third floor again, he saw his and Levi’s door kicked in. _Oh, fuck_. Moving to the next room, he saw Armin and Mikasa’s door kicked in as well. _No, no, no…_

 

He burst into the room and saw Armin sitting on the bed and Mikasa comforting him.

 

“Oh shit. Thank god you’re okay. What happened?”

 

“A man in a suit kicked in the door and asked where you and Levi were. He scared the shit out of us,” Mikasa explained.

 

“You alright, Armin?”

 

Armin nodded. “I’ll be fine.”

 

“Did he take anything?”

 

“No.”

 

“Levi said to meet him behind the Center. This guy is after me and him for some reason and we have to go.”

 

“Eren, I don’t think we should – ”

 

“Mikasa,” Eren snapped. “I don’t fucking care if you don’t think we should go with him. We have the goddamn chance to – ”

 

“ _Let me finish a fucking sentence, Eren!_ I was going to say we shouldn’t go out the front door, you dumbass. This man changed our future and there’s no way I’m letting either of you pass this up. Now let’s go.”

 

Mikasa blazed past Eren, who stood silent and shocked.

 

“Well she told you,” Armin quipped, jogging out the door. “Come on.”

 

Eren turned around and ran out the door, catching up with Mikasa and Armin. They darted down the stairs and stormed out of the back door of the Center. They found their pursuer standing tall as he threw a Poké Ball into the air, releasing a Bisharp. Eren instinctively reached to his belt and released Charizard.

 

“Bisharp, Night Slash!”

 

“Dodge it, Charizard! Now, Power-Up Punch!”

 

Charizard reared his fist back and slammed it into Bisharp’s chest, pummeling it into the ground. 

 

_Super-effective! Where the fuck is Levi?_

 

“Go! Kadabra!” Armin shouted. “Psychic!” he commanded, pointing at the man.

 

Kadabra used its psychic power to lift him up and slam him into the ground, just as Levi turned the corner with the car. The two returned their Pokémon as the group leapt into the black sedan. Levi floored it and they were on their way to the interstate.

 

The man struggled to his feet, roadside, as he saw the taillights disappear into nothing, the black car speeding away with his targets. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

 

“Boss, it’s me. They got away....I-I know, sorry....Yes, I understand. I’ll see you in Los Angeles.”

 

***

 

The four sped navigated through the winding roads in Rocky Mountain National Park.

 

“I think we’re okay,” Armin noticed.

 

“Thank god,” Eren said, letting out a deep sigh, slumping into the front passenger’s seat. “Who the hell was he?”

 

“Did you see the ‘T’ on his suit?” Levi asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“It’s the insignia of the Titans. They’re an organization that has their hands in a lot of things. But they’re really interested in mega evolution. Hence the second part of their sigil. I didn’t think they were still operational in the States.”

 

“So they’re really after…Eren?” Mikasa reasoned.

 

“Probably.”

 

“Then where’re we going?” Eren wondered. These Titans were bound to be in Los Angeles since that’s where the man was going to take them. “We’re not still going to LA, are we?”

 

“Fuck them. We have shit to do and I’ll be damned if they get in our way. I did want you guys to catch something while we were here, but we’ll stop along the way I guess. Besides, it’s time we got you guys really battling again.”

 

“Yes, please!” Eren piped.

 

“LA’s a big city anyway,” Armin added. “What’re the odds of them actually finding us?”

 

***

 

A phone rang on a bedside table in a Pokémon Center in downtown Los Angeles. A sleepy hand reached out and grabbed it.

  

“What the…Hello?”

 

“Hello. May I speak with Jean Kirschtein?” said a cool, female voice on the other end.

 

“Speaking,” he croaked.

 

“My name is Ymir and I have a proposition for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading so far! Your comments are much appreciated and really keep me going :) <3 (I promise there'll be more battling and Pokémon catching next chapter!)


	6. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Mikasa gain new companions on their way to LA. Meanwhile, Jean meets a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot going on in this chapter, including some more character introductions ^^ Thanks to absolmon for some of the Pokémon ideas :D

“Eren, hurry! Before it gets away!” Armin shouted at Eren who ran after his target.

 

Levi leaned nonchalantly against the car. “He’s not gonna get it at this rate. He’s lucky he found one way out here. If that thing disappears, he ain’t getting another for awhile.”

 

Mikasa shot him a look as she took a swig from her water bottle. They had been on the road driving for almost ten hours and this was the only stop besides the one back in Grand Junction, just before the Utah border. A couple hours ago, they turned off I-70 and headed south on I-15, which would take them straight to LA. Now here they were, off the interstate on Highway 18, in the rugged terrain outside of the town of St. George, Utah – Snow Canyon State Park. Eren insisted on hunting for new additions to his team for hours before Levi conceded. The afternoon sun continued to beat down on the red soil as Eren and Charizard chased a lone Aron back towards its cavernous home at the base of one of the rock formations.

 

“Go! Poké Ball!” Eren hurled a new ball at the Aron and managed to hit it square on its head. _Yes!_ The ball opened and sucked the Pokémon inside. It fell to the ground with a thud and shook.

 

_One…Two…Three…!_

It burst open, the Poké Ball destroyed. Eren leapt onto Charizard. The two flew just above the ground and hovered over the Aron.

 

“Power-Up Punch!”

 

Charizard drove his fist straight down at the Pokémon and hit it square on the back. It lay on the ground, fainted. He threw a second ball.

 

_One…Two…Three…Caught!_

 

“Yeah!” He shouted, raising his fist in triumph. He scooped up the ball as he and Charizard zipped back to the car. He leapt off his partner and returned him to his ball. “Great job, buddy.”

 

“You wasted a Poké Ball, dumbass,” Levi snapped. “You have to _weaken your target first_. These cost money. If you’re not going to do what I told you, you’re wasting it.”

 

“Sorry, Levi,” Eren apologized. “But, look! I caught an Aron!” He enthusiastically tossed the Poké Ball up and Aron popped out. He took a Potion from the car and sprayed Aron as he aimed his Pokédex at it.

 

“Aron. The Iron Armor Pokémon. Steel/Rock Type. It usually lives deep within mountains. However, hunger may drive it to eat railroad tracks and cars.”

 

“That explains why it’s here,” Levi motioned to the abandoned railroad tracks a few feet away. “Are you going to nickname it?”

 

Eren knelt down and ran his hand over the tough, steel-plated head of his new partner. The Potion restored a bit of its health and it used its restored energy to take interest in his key dangling from his neck. Its tongue licked the metal. Eren snuck it back under his shirt before the Pokémon could get a bite.

 

“Stark,” Eren decided.

 

“Why?” Mikasa wondered, tossing Eren the bottle of water.

 

“Stark means strong in German. What’s stronger than this guy covered in armor? And I have a feeling he’ll make all the difference in the long run.”

 

“She,” Levi remarked.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Stark’s a girl, kid.”

 

“How can you tell?” Armin asked, eyeing the Pokémon.

 

“Look at its spots. These are smaller than a male’s. The male Aron shows off its iron ore through larger black spots in the hopes of attracting mates. This one’s a female.”

 

“Cool,” Eren remarked. “Come on, Stark. Let’s get you that snack.” The two jogged to the train tracks and Stark began to chow down on the metal. Armin caught up with them and watched on.

 

Levi smiled as he saw his trainee bond with his new Pokémon. _Good for him._ It reminded him of catching Dart as a Froakie.

 

“What’re you smiling at?” Mikasa asked, nudging him.

 

“What, I can’t be happy for him? He caught something on his own. Pretty easily, too.”

 

“Whatever you say, boss man,” she chuckled as she wandered around back into the car. As she sat down, she heard something whimper. _Huh?_ She got out of the car and looked around. Eren and Armin were still with Stark and hikers made their way up the rock formations. Nothing that would be whining. _I thought I heard…_. She heard it again.

 

“What is that?” she whispered.

 

“Huh?” Levi turned around and saw Mikasa looking around. “What is what?” He’d learned quickly that a worried Mikasa is not something to take lightly.

 

“I heard something whining,” she muttered, getting on all fours. She peered underneath the car. “Oh my god.” She reached under the car and extended her hand to an injured Pokémon. “Levi, there’s a hurt Vulpix here.”

 

He knelt down and saw the Pokémon curled up, nursing a wound. “Oh shit. But, it’s probably not gonna come out on its own.”

 

“What do I do?”

 

Levi paused for a moment. “Catch it.”

 

“What?”

 

“Here!” he tossed a ball over to her. “Just make sure it taps the Pokémon. It’ll be easier to help. I can’t move the car without risking it.”

 

“Okay, okay,” she answered. She gently tossed the ball at the Vulpix and it landed on the cheek. It scrunched up its nose and Mikasa was enamored with it instantly. She smiled and quickly retrieved the Poké Ball before it finished shaking. She clutched it to her chest as she heard the ball click and Vulpix rested.

 

“I think it’s injured more severely than basic medicine can fix,” Levi said. “We have to get it to a Center.”

 

He called out to Eren and Armin. “Hey brats, we have to make a stop!”

 

***

 

Mikasa paced the lobby of the St. George Pokémon Center, picking at her nails and fiddling with her red scarf. Even after all these years, it still had Eren’s scent on it. But his symbolic protection wasn’t calming her nerves.

 

“I’ve never seen you this worked up,” her brother commented. “I’m sure that Vulpix’ll be fine.”

 

“I know, I know,” she replied, still unsettled.

 

Eren stood up and put his hand on her shoulder. “Hey.” She looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes. “It’s going to be okay.” Eren hugged his sister and she returned the embrace. He felt her relax and let out a deep sigh. “There ya go.”

 

A nurse came through the door behind the desk.

 

“Mikasa Ackerman?”

 

Her head shot up. “Yes! Yes, that’s me. Is Vulpix okay?”

 

The nurse smiled. “Vulpix is just fine,” she reported, handing Mikasa the Poké Ball. “You’ve got a special one there, miss,” she added, retreating to the back room.

 

“Told you it’d be okay,” Eren nudged her.

 

“Shut up,” she sniffled, wiping her eyes and shoving Eren.

 

“Well, what’re you waiting for?” Armin prodded. “Let’s meet Vulpix!”

 

Mikasa chuckled and pressed the button on the Poké Ball, releasing Vulpix. As the energy formed into her new partner, her eyes widened, as did the rest of the group’s. Vulpix let out a healthy cry.

 

“Oh my god, look at it!” Mikasa gasped. “She – ” she looked at Levi who nodded “she’s beautiful!”

 

The sun poured into the Center’s large windows, reflecting off of Vulpix’s brilliant gold coat.

 

“Mikasa, open the Pokédex,” Eren urged. “ _Open the Pok_ é _dex!_ ”

 

She complied.

 

“Vulpix. The Fox Pokémon. Fire Type. As each tail grows, its fur becomes more lustrous. When held, it feels slightly warm.”

 

The group huddled around her Pokédex and looked at the picture it provided of the prototypical Vulpix. They looked to Mikasa’s and back to the Pokédex.

 

“M-Mikasa?” Armin stuttered. “Did you realize – ?”

 

“It was under the car when I caught it.”

 

“So you didn’t – ”

 

“Nope.”

 

“You found one,” Eren whispered. “You found a shiny Pokémon!”

 

“What’re you gonna name her?” Levi asked, a rare, childish grin plastered on his face.

 

Mikasa knelt down in front of her Vulpix and scratched under her chin. Vulpix purred and licked her arm. She proceeded to lift her paw and rest it on Mikasa’s forearm.

 

“Her name’s gonna be Taiyō,” she announced. “It means sun in Japanese.”

 

“Why that?” Levi asked.

 

“Because my parents were Japanese and this Vulpix,” she swallowed hard, “she reminds me of my mom.” She scooped Taiyō up. “I’m probably being crazy, though.”

 

Eren put his hand on her shoulder again. “You’re not crazy. You and Taiyō were obviously meant to find each other.”

 

“Alright, I hate to break this up, but we’ve got to get back on the road if we’re going to make it to Los Angeles without having to book a room,” Levi interrupted. “Also,” he turned to Mikasa, “make sure you keep Taiyō safe. She’s definitely gonna turn some heads.”

 

“Good call,” Mikasa said, returning Taiyō to her Poké Ball.

 

“When can we test out and train our new Pokémon?” Eren asked.

 

“You guys’ll battle when we get to LA, I promise. Now let’s go,” Levi demanded, halfway out the door.

 

Armin lingered behind and fiddled with an empty Poké Ball. Eren was almost out the door when he realized Armin wasn’t behind him.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Armin let out a wavering sigh. “You and Mikasa have new Pokémon already and I still have no one.”

 

“Come on, Armin, we’re just starting," he consoled. "You’ll find a new partner to join you and Kadabra soon. I know it!” Eren extended his fist toward his friend. Armin paused for a moment and returned the fist bump.

 

“Promise?”

 

“Promise.”

 

***

 

A young man walked into the Pokémon Center on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. _Miss Ymir said he’s staying here._ “Hang on,” he whispered to himself while he pulled out his phone to dial his boss.

 

“What,” her voice hissed.

 

“Hollywood and Vine, right?”

 

“For the millionth time, yes.”

 

“Okay, just making sure. Why’d he deny your proposition again?”

 

Ymir sighed on the other end of the line. “He didn’t want to get involved in anything sketchy. I fucking offered the idiot mega evolution stuff and he still denied. You have the stones, right?”

 

“Yeah,” he confirmed, feeling the case containing thousands of dollars worth of mega evolution supplies.

 

“Good. Now, make friends, boost his ego. You know what to do from there,” Ymir instructed. “But,” she warned, “he _cannot_ know that we’re affiliated. Got it?”

 

“Got it,” he was growing impatient at the repetition. “I drove all the way up here for you. If I work with him, you’ll petition for me to be an Elite?”

 

“Yes, yes, of course. Remember, we need him to get to Jaeger and Levi. You have his picture. Go find him.”

 

“Yeah, but you promise – ?” He heard Ymir hang up. “Miss Ymir?” _She better do this for me. I’m putting myself on the line here._ He looked at his watch that read seven o’clock. He opened the camera on his phone and looked at himself on-screen. He ran a couple of fingers through his hair to adjust the unruly strands. _Let’s do this,_ he thought, jogging up the stairs to the third floor.

 

He walked into the food court and sitting at the first table was the man in the picture. He smoothed his flannel shirt and thrust his hands in the pocket of his shorts and strolled over to the table.

 

“Are you Jean Kirschtein?” he asked, sheepishly.

 

He looked up. “Yeah?”

 

“I’m Marco. Marco Bodt. I saw your battles at the Manhattan League and I gotta say, you’re really great!”

 

Jean blushed, which was uncharacteristic of the usually arrogant trainer. “Th-thanks,” he said, running his hand through his hair. He wasn't accustomed to random people approaching him and this stranger's unexpected hint of a Spanish accent caught him off guard.

 

“Qué haces en LA?” Marco continued, unaware that he had slipped into Spanish.

 

“Uh…” Jean cleared his throat. He furiously tried to remember the basic Spanish he learned in school. “Y-Yo gané el torneo y, um, el IPL m-me...invitaron aquí para entrenar – ”

 

Marco’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry! I always do that. I’m actually up here from Mexico, so it’s a habit to switch right into Spanish,” he chuckled.

 

“Oh, uh, okay,” Jean stuttered, visibly embarrassed.

 

“You’re Spanish isn’t too bad, actually,” Marco reassured Jean, whose face was buried in his hands. _Is he blushing?_ “So what _are_ you doing in LA?”

 

“Well,” Jean explained in his significantly more comfortable English, “since I won the tournament, the IPL invited me to their elite training facility.”

 

Marco scoffed. “You don’t need that. You should just challenge the League! A trainer like you? I’m sure you’ll do amazing.”

 

“Thanks, but I still have a long way to go," Jean admitted.

 

“Why?”

 

“I already tried to challenge the League back in New York and lost to Gym Leader Levi. And the rules state that I have to beat the leader in my home region before moving on.” Jean stood up. “It was nice talking to you. I’ve gotta get some food and take it back to my room so I can study up in quiet. No offense.”

 

“None taken. Although,” Marco added, “I might know a thing or two about Levi. You know he’s heading here, right?”

 

“Yeah, so?”

 

“Why don’t you challenge him when he gets here? Earn your badge and get your League quest going? A Gym Leader is required to accept a challenge, even if they’re away from their gym. You have a Trainer Card, you might as well.”

 

Jean sighed. “I haven’t given any thought to battling Levi again.”

 

“I’ll help you," Marco reached into his pocket for his wallet. "I’ve studied all the Gym Leaders. Look,” Marco pulled out his own Trainer Card that gleamed a bright blue. It had been updated to reflect that he had won all eight badges worldwide.

 

Jean gasped and snatched the card, running his hands along the line of badges at the bottom. Marco could see his eyes twinkling. Jean hesitated. “Wait, you can’t be much older than me – ” He looked to the birth year on the Card. “1993.”

 

“I’m twenty-one. I beat the New York City gym just as Levi took it over. I was the first and only badge he awarded in the past five years.”

 

“So you beat his gym when you were only sixteen – ?”

 

“I was a bit of a prodigy,” Marco admitted, turning a light pink under his freckles. “I just hated tournament play, though. But I’ll teach you everything I know – ”

 

“Awesome!” Jean gaped.

 

“Only,” Marco added, “if you let me teach you Spanish, too.”

 

“Deal!” he exclaimed, handing the Card back to its owner. “Okay, _now_  I’m gonna get some food. Want any?”

 

Marco shook his head. “I’m good.”

 

“Okay. Be right back.” Jean walked towards the restaurants and surveyed his options. Marco pulled out his phone and texted Ymir.

 

Marco 7:18pm “I’m in”

 

Ymir 7:20pm “Good work, newbie.”

 

 _This'll be interesting,_ he thought. An unconscious smile crept onto his face as he watched a bumbling Jean drop the coins he was counting on the floor.

 

***

 

“So what’re you going to do, Ymir?” Annie asked over the videochat. Her short blond hair was fashioned in a sharp bob, bangs swooping to the side covering her right eye. Her Aegislash hovered next to her, shield up.  

 

“He and Levi are challenging the IPL. Meeting him without deceit is inevitable.” Ymir looked at herself on the monitor. Her brown hair pulled back revealed her freckled face and bronze complexion. Her hazel eyes gleamed from the light from the screen. _Ugh_.

 

“Why the interest in him now? Why not just go after him in New York?”

 

“If we went after him in New York, it’d be insanity. But, if he gets stronger, he’ll make his way to me and that’ll be that. Honestly, his actual value to us is dependent on how good his actually is – and his mega evolution abilities. He might not even make it this far without getting himself killed. An IPL challenge isn’t an easy task.”

 

“True. But we can’t exhaust our resources tracking a trainer that may or may not be what we’re looking for.”

 

“I’m not an idiot, Annie. We’ll keep mining for those mega stones and manufacturing prototypes.”

 

Aegislash shifted into Blade Forme at the sound of hostility toward its trainer. “Easy, Scythe,” Annie said, reverting back to Shield Forme. “Anyway, good. So, what if he’s the real deal?”

 

“Then we go in for it. I’ll bring him to my European headquarters here as someone we want to share our secrets with since he’s such a _talented_ trainer. It’s getting Levi to let him that’s the problem.”

 

“What’re you going to do about him?”

 

“He knows me, but I don’t think he trusts me.” Ymir paused. An incoming call from Moscow broke through the silence that had fallen between the two. “We have time and you’re in the Americas. Keep tabs on him. I’ve gotta go.”

 

“But – ”

 

Ymir hung up and answered the incoming call. A tiny, pale girl with golden hair was smiling at her.

 

“Hi, Ymir!”

 

“Are we alone?”

 

She shook her head “yes.”

 

Ymir let herself smile. “Historia, my love!”

 

Historia’s white face turned pink. “How’s everything going? Any exciting challengers?”

 

“Nothing yet!” she barked. “But they’ll come, I’m sure. It looks like you’re taking your new persona on well.”

 

“Yeah, well,” she chimed, “Krista has to be _bright_ and _encouraging_ to new trainers!” She let out a saccharine giggle. “But,” her voice became harsh, “Historia don’t give a _shit._ ”

 

Ymir sank into her chair and got comfortable. Historia was the only person that Ymir could be anywhere near herself with. “I’m gonna be sending a present to you soon." She looked over to the Master Ball containing the world's only shiny Rayquaza.  _Those grunts pulled through_.

“Oh? What’s the occasion?”

 

“No occasion. Just for my favorite girl,” Ymir beamed.

 

“You’re too good to me, Ymir.”

 

Ymir got serious. “No, Historia. You’re too good for me.”

***

 

Levi put the car in park and yanked the emergency brake. "Oi," he breathed. He turned around and saw the three sound asleep.

 

 " _W_ _ake up!_ " he hollered, shaking Eren.

 

“AHHH WHAT’S GOING ON?!” Eren bellowed and thrust a fist at Levi, which connected with his cheek.

 

“OW, YOU FUCKING LITTLE SHIT!”

 

“WELL, WHAT’RE YOU SHAKIN' ME FOR?” Eren snapped.

 

“ _BOTH OF YOU, SHUT THE FUCK UP WE’RE ALL AWAKE,_ ” Mikasa screamed, silencing everyone.

 

“What’s going on?” a sleepy Armin croaked, rubbing his eyes.

 

Levi rubbed his cheek, which was turning purple. “Fucking, dumbass,” he hissed. “Get out, we’re here.”

 

The four got out of the car in the underground parking lot beneath the Pokémon Center on Hollywood and Vine. Levi threw on his forest green jacket and locked the car. They staggered to the stairs, legs weak from sitting for the past six hours. The lights and sounds of the city flooded their senses and they were immediately awake. Trainers walked down the street with all types of exotic Pokémon – Fraxure, Politoed, and a Slowking were among the new creatures seen. They couldn’t open their Pokédexes fast enough.

 

“This is definitely not New York City,” Eren marveled.

 

“Hell, no it’s not,” Levi grunted. “Welcome to Los Angeles, you brats.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're just getting started ^_^ Chapter 7 to come soon! Comment and share! I love getting feedback from everyone and all of your comments thus far have been unbelievably encouraging :3 Thank you! <3 :)


	7. A Challenger Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and the team run into a familiar face in the Pokémon Center. Armin catches himself a new friend and Levi questions his skills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's kinda long with a lot of stuff going on XD Thanks for being patient ^_^ Here's a guide to the nicknames:
> 
> Stark - Eren's Aron  
> Taiyō - Mikasa's shiny Vulpix  
> Dart - Levi's shiny Greninja  
> Tyra - Levi's Tyranitar  
> Fury - Levi's Hydreigon
> 
> :) Enjoy!

“So tell me about your battle with Levi in New York,” Marco asked, distributing the freshly delivered Chinese food between himself and Jean. It was almost midnight, but somehow Marco found a place that would deliver to them. Jean quickly shoved a fortune cookie down his throat before he could answer Marco’s question. He unraveled the fortune and read it aloud.

 

“A victory lies in your future,” he recited. “Ha, sure.” He crumpled it up and tossed it to the side.

 

Marco raised his brow. “So? What happened?”

 

“He pretty much wiped me out with his shiny Greninja…Dash or something.”

 

“Dart?”

 

“Yeah, that’s it. And then Tyranitar.”

 

“How many Pokémon do you have with you right now?”

 

“Just my top three. Flygon, Milotic, and Serperior. His Greninja blazed through Serperior and Flygon. Milotic was able to hold up until Grass Knot hit it – ”

 

“He changed his moveset since I battled him,” Marco realized. “That’s good to know.”

 

“Yeah. I was able to knock out the Greninja after that type change, but Tyranitar just landed one shot and that was it.”

 

“Hm.” Marco opened up his chopsticks and deftly scooped a chunk of rice into his mouth. He observed as Jean struggled to lift up a roll of sushi more than halfway. “And you haven’t caught…any…. Oh, jeez, here – ”

 

Marco took Jean’s hand and rested one chopstick along his thumb. “Hold this here,” he said as he stuck the other between his fingers, “and use this to pick up the pieces.”

 

Jean turned light pink. “Uh, okay.” He slowly moved his equipped hand toward his food in an attempt to keep thie chopsticks in place. He squeezed the sticks around a roll and lost his grip, flinging them across the room with a mess of rice and fish. “Shit!”

 

Marco chortled, mouth full of rice and chicken.

 

“Shut up!” Jean groaned, digging for a fork.

 

“Okay, okay.” Marco caught his breath. “I’ve just never seen anyone that inept with chopsticks!”

 

“Well, sorry I’m not a world traveler.”

 

“Yet,” Marco smiled.

 

Jean’s embarrassment turned into determination. “Okay, back to business,” he said, stabbing his sushi with a fork. “What do I do against Levi?”

 

“It’s hard to say,” Marco admitted, cracking open a can of Coke. “If he’s changed his move sets then he may have changed his third Pokémon. You don’t have a VS Recorder do you?”

 

“A what?”

 

“I’ll take that as a no.”

 

“I need to get a feel for your battle style.” Marco wrapped up his leftovers. “Finish up, we’re going to the roof.”

 

***

 

“Sleep…” Eren droned as the four climbed the stairs to the second floor of the Pokémon Center.

 

 _12:04am_.

 

“Yeah, it’s been a long-ass day,” Levi sighed. “You brats are better off sleeping. We’ll get our rooms and you can get some rest.”

 

“What’re you gonna do?” Armin asked, rubbing his eyes.

 

“These bigger Centers have personal training rooms. Fury, Dart, and Tyra need some stretching. Also might bring out some others.”

 

“Aw,” Eren whined, “I wanna go – ” He let out a huge yawn.

 

“No, you’re not, Eren,” Mikasa said. “You need sleep. We’ll go in the morning.”

 

“Ughh…” he dragged his feet and stood in front of the door that blocked the hallway with lodging. “Since when are there doors here?”

 

“Metropolitan-area Pokémon Centers are much more secured. The one in Times Square was like this, too. You just didn’t see,” Levi explained. You need to swipe to get in. “C’mere and give me your Trainer Card.”

 

Levi handed the four Cards over to the receptionist who entered information into their system.

 

“How many days?” she asked.

 

“Three,” Levi answered.

 

“Okay. I’ve entered these four Trainer Cards into our security system to accept your swipes for the next three days. If you need an extension please see me within twenty-four hours of your departure. If you’re late, you may have to change rooms.”

 

“Understood,” Levi confirmed. “Thanks.”

 

Levi swiped his Trainer Card through the reader and a lock clicked open. Eren pushed through the door and hobbled down the hallway. The rooms were quiet, save the snores of Pokémon and their trainers. Eren stopped in his tracks when he realized that he was significantly ahead of the pack.

 

“Uh, Eren?” Armin called. “Back here.”

 

“Oh,” Eren yawned. He made his way back towards Armin when a door swung open and he collided with the room’s resident. He hit the tile hard.

 

“OW!”

 

“Well, watch where you’re – Jaeger?!”

 

Eren looked up and saw his rival’s smug grin. “ _Kirschtein,_ ” he hissed.

 

“Well, it looks like you finally made it – oh, hi, Mikasa.”

 

“Hello,” she deadpanned.

 

Jean paused, at a loss for words. “H-How’re you liking the city?” he tone shifted to a much more amicable, yet nervous one.

 

“Just got here, so yeah. Haven’t seen much.”

 

“Stop trying to flirting with her!” Eren seethed, rising to his feet.

 

“Why? It’s a free country!”

 

Marco appeared behind Jean. “Calm down, Jean. You can’t lose your cool. Eren’s a good trainer and so are you.”

 

“Yeah,” Levi agreed. “You would know, wouldn’t you, Marco.”

 

“Hello, Levi,” Marco smiled, extending his hand. Levi shook it and returned a small smile.

 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Eren said, shaking his head. “Who are _you_?”

 

“Marco. Marco Bodt.”

 

“How do you know _me_?”

 

“Everyone watches televised Pokémon tournaments. And you’re the first eighteen-year-old to perform a successful mega evolution, so it’s kinda hard to forget!” Marco chuckled.

 

“Wait,” Armin interrupted. “Are you _the_ Marco Bodt? The Pokémon prodigy who swept through the IPL’s gyms at sixteen?”

 

Marco chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, that’s me,” he confirmed, turning pink beneath his freckles.

 

“Is that how you two – ?”

 

“Yeah,” Levi said. “He was the only badge I ever awarded.”

 

“No one’s beat him since,” Marco added.

 

Levi’s expression became slightly smug.

 

“Well that’s going to change!” Jean declared. “Levi, I’m challenging you to a battle for your badge!”

 

“But we’re not at my gym, I can’t – ”

 

“International Pokémon League charter states that an official Gym Leader must accept any challenge made whether they are in the gym or not,” Marco sang.

 

“Goddammit, my own suggestion bites me in the ass. Fine,” Levi conceded. “When?”

 

“Tomorrow night. On the roof,” Jean decided.

 

“Fine. Three-on-three. Just like before.”

 

“Deal.”

 

Jean glared at Levi who stood nonchalantly with a tired expression on his face. “You were going somewhere weren’t you?”

 

“Yeah,” Marco interrupted, shoving Jean forward. “Let’s go.”

 

“You three head to the rooms,” Levi said. “I need to talk to Marco privately for a second.”

 

“Uh, okay,” Mikasa agreed, ushering the two boys along to the rooms.

 

“Jean, I’ll meet you upstairs.”

 

“Okay, I’ll be ready!” he exclaimed, dashing away.

 

When the two were alone, Levi spoke first.

 

“Well, it looks like you’ve got him going. Does he know?”

 

“Know what?”

 

“That you’re the Mexico City Gym Leader?”

 

“Not yet,” Marco admitted. “It’s better if he doesn’t.”

 

“You’re going to battle up there, aren’t you?” Levi assumed.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Are you going to give him the badge if he beats you? Because that’s against the League rules. He has to earn mine first.”

 

“I know. He’s not going to beat me. But if he does, I’ll give him the badge _after_ he beats you. Technically he wouldn’t be breaking any rules.”

 

“Fine.”

 

They paused and an awkward silence fell between them. Levi crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, his biceps stretching the tight tee. Marco put his hands in his pockets and shuffled around.

 

“So, what about that Eren kid? You’re training him, aren’t you?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“How’s that going?”

 

“He’s got what it takes to go all the way.”

 

“You think so?”

  
“Just needs some guidance. Where’s he going to battle you? He needs to go after your badge.”

 

“Does he have yours?”

 

“No, but I’m working with him as a trainer of interest for the IPL so he doesn’t need it.”

 

“Yet.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Levi remembered that he was training a future opponent.

 

“He and I can battle at my gym,” Marco continued. “I’ll need to take Jean down there anyway since he’s definitely going to lose against me.”

 

“You seem confident about that.”

 

Marco raised his brow.

 

“Shut the fuck up, I know you’re that good,” Levi laughed. “Okay, go to your trainee. And Marco,” he became serious, “be careful. There’s a lot of shit going on with some Gym Leaders and you’re too good to get sucked into that.”

 

“Oh, uh, yeah I heard. Thanks, Levi.”

 

“Yeah,” Levi replied as Marco disappeared up the stairs. He mosied back toward their rooms and peered into the room he was sharing with Eren. The boy was already asleep in the bed, on top of all the covers, in nothing but boxers. _Oh,_ Levi thought, _well then_. He noticed the toned muscles in his arms and legs _._ He slowly closed the door over and clicked it shut.

 

***

 

Ymir [12:24am] “Anything with the kid?”

 

Marco pulled out his phone and saw the text from Ymir. He sighed and thrust it back in his pocket. “Alright, Jean. Let’s get started!” he declared, tossing a Great Ball in the air.

 

***

 

The training rooms were on the fourth floor of the Pokémon Center. There were ten rooms in this Center and all were free. The hall with the rooms was very basic – white walls and black marble with a Poké Ball in the center of the floor. The rooms were arranged in a circle, with the doors facing the center of the hall. Levi went to the closest room and swiped his Card through the reader. The LED sign above the door flashed green and red before going dark. It lit up again, this time with his Trainer ID – LA548401.

 

He pushed through the door and walked in. The room was a light blue and dimly lit. An electric drone from a lone PC in the corner was the only sound. He sighed and logged in. Scrolling through his full boxes was scrolling through years of training and travel. Dark Pokémon from around the world from when Erwin offered him the position as New York City Gym Leader, his original Hall of Fame party from when he first defeated the Elite Four and Champion, and his first Pokémon that he ever received. He stared at its digitized icon and remembered when he decided to box it. It was five years ago, against the current Mexico City Gym Leader and it was the hardest decision he ever made.

 

He selected it and hit “Withdraw.” A red and white Poké Ball appeared beneath the PC. Levi took it and released the Pokémon.

 

“Zo! Zo!” the Illusion Fox Pokémon barked as he ran over to Levi, nuzzling his head into his trainer’s neck.

 

Levi smiled, wiped a tear from his eyes, and ran his hand along Zoroark’s scarlet mane. “Hey, Zorro. I’ve missed you.”

 

Zorro barked again and stepped into the middle of the room, standing at the ready.

 

“Really? Right now?”

 

“Zo!” he confirmed.

 

Levi moved back to the PC and selected the Super Training option. He loaded the speed program. When he confirmed, the room began to glow and electric blue as a hologram of a swarm Rattata lined up against the wall. A countdown timer appeared on the wall.

 

_3…2…1…Training Start!_

 

The Rattata one by one darted around the room preparing to attack Zorro.

 

“Sucker Punch!”

 

Zorro launched forward and threw a punch, but the Rattata leapt forward and smacked him right in the face.

 

“It’s okay, Zorro. Focus!”

 

Zorro nodded.

 

The second Rattata launched forward and prepped for another attack.

 

“Let’s go! Sucker Punch!”

 

Zorro moved slightly faster and managed to smack this Rattata into a million digital pixels.

 

“There we go!” Levi clenched his fist in excitement. “Again!”

 

The two continued until Zorro got through almost fifty attacks. The program switched off and the lights went dim again. “You got a bit faster, huh?”

 

“Zo!”

 

“I know how you wanted to move fast. That’s how Marco was able to knock you out in his battle with you.”

 

Zorro looked down, remembering the battle and his shameful loss. “Zo…”

 

“Listen,” Levi said, petting his Pokémon, “you did the best that you could. It was my fault. I was so focused on power. I was so…so determined to be strong in only one way that I couldn’t see your strengths. You might be slower than most Zoroark, but you pack a killer punch. I have an idea for how we can use that, okay?”

 

“Zo?”

 

“Yeah, you’re gonna be battling with us again,” Levi beamed. “We have one tomorrow!”

 

“Zo!” Zorro started pumping his fists into the air as Levi started laughing and started copying him.

 

***

 

Eren and Mikasa shoveled their breakfast into their mouths while Armin pushed scrambled eggs around his plate. The food in this Center was a lot better than the one in the mountains.

 

“Whas wrong, ‘Rmin?” Mikasa said through a mouthful of pancakes.

 

Armin sighed. “Nothing.”

 

“Liar,” Eren accused, swallowing his bacon. “Tell us what’s wrong.”

 

“It’s stupid.”

 

“Armin, you’re smart as fuck. It’s not stupid.”

 

“I just couldn’t sleep last night.”

 

“Why not?”

 

He sighed again. “Because I just wanted to go out and catch another Pokémon. It’s still just me and Kadabra. You have Charizard and Stark. Mikasa has Lucario and Taiyō. I’m the only one left.”

 

“Okay,” Eren admitted. “That’s kinda stupid.”

 

“Fuck you.”

 

“Listen, it’s not a contest. We just happened to find and catch new Pokémon first. You’ll find your new partner soon.”

 

“Yeah,” Mikasa added. “You don’t wanna just catch anything. You need to find a Pokémon that you really want to be with you.”

 

“I guess you’re right,” he said, scooping home fries into his mouth. “Was Levi up when you came down for food?”

 

Eren took a swig of juice. “Nope. He was still asleep. I kinda woke up when he came to bed. I don’t think he realized it though. He looked really tired.”

 

“He said he was going to a training room,” Mikasa remembered. “He must’ve worked hard.”

 

“I suppose so.”

 

Eren’s phone buzzed.

 

Levi [10:21am] Just woke up. You guys have fun in the city today. We’ll train starting tomorrow

 

“Huh,” Eren said. “Looks like we have the day to ourselves.”

 

“So it’s just us and the city?” Armin asked.

 

“Seems like it,” Eren replied.

 

Eren [10:23am] Okay. Plans?

 

Levi [10:24am] None of your business

 

Eren [10:25am] Lol you’re training for your battle with Jean aren’t you

 

Levi [10:27am] Maybe. New strat to work on. Meet on the roof at 6:30 for the battle. You’re watching

 

Eren [10:28am] See you then. Have fun :)

 

Levi [10:29am] Yeah, thanks

 

Eren smiled to who he thought was himself.

 

“Why’re you smiling?” Mikasa deadpanned.

 

“I’m not!” Eren snapped back.

 

Armin laughed and handed his tray to a waiter in the food court. “Alright. I’m going to walk around outside for a little bit and explore. Text me if you wanna meet up. “

 

“By yourself?” Mikasa worried.

 

“I’ll be fine,” Armin said, shaking off her concern. “I’ll have Kadabra with me.” He smiled, rolling Kadabra’s Poké Ball around in his hand.

 

“Okay then,” Eren answered, as he ordered seconds. “I’m gonna check out these training rooms with Mikasa.”

 

Armin got up and nodded. “See you later!”

 

“Be careful out there,” Mikasa warned.

 

“He’ll be fine. Stop worrying,” Eren retorted.

 

Armin chuckled as he walked out of the food court and down the stairs to the lobby of the Center. The bright Los Angeles sun attempted to break through the overcast sky. It was only 10:30 in the morning, but it was already pretty hot and humid, compared to New York. _Feels like it’s gonna rain_ , Armin thought. He thrust his hands in his jeans and strolled south down Vine Street.

 

 _I’ll find one soon, I hope_ , he reached down to his belt. “I’ll find a friend for you soon, Kadabra.” He stopped walking and pressed the release button on the Poké Ball.

 

“Ka…?” Kadabra surveyed its surroundings before turning to acknowledge Armin. “Ka!” he exclaimed upon seeing Armin’s face.

 

“Hey, Kadabra! We’re going for a walk, okay? Get some fresh air.” A truck blazed by spewing exhaust into the air. “Well, as fresh as it gets, I guess.” The two continued down the street watching other trainers and their Pokémon walk past them. A young couple held hands as their Plusle and Minun pranced along with them. Across the street, Armin could see a chef bringing supplies into his restaurant with the help of his Machoke. “Hey, Kadabra, what if I gave you an apron to wear like that?” Armin asked, motioning toward the Machoke. Kadabra looked back at Armin with an unamused face. “Kaa…”

 

“Got it. No costumes for you,” he giggled.

 

Armin felt himself slow down and something tugged at his collar. _Huh?_

 

“Ka!” Kadabra took a fighting stance. He felt psychic energy in the area. The pair scanned around. “There’s nothing here…” Armin realized. “That was weird.”

 

A few minutes later, he felt it again. This time it was stronger. “What the hell – ?”

 

He turned around quickly and saw a bit of green disappear between the buildings. He ran over to the alley and looked down. Nothing but crates and dumpsters. A small horde of Trubbish scattered when Armin stormed around the corner.

 

“I coulda sworn I saw something – ” He heard Kadabra…chanting? “Kadabra?”

 

“Ka! Ka! Ka!” Kadabra was dancing around with a green Pokémon. It had a small light body within a gelatinous layer covering it. “Hey! Are you the one who’s been messing with me?”

 

“Duo…?”

 

Armin whipped out his Pokédex and aimed it at the new Pokémon:

 

“Duosion. The Mitosis Pokémon and the evolved form of Solosis. Psychic Type. When their two divided brains think the same thoughts, their psychic power is maximized.”

 

“Duosion, huh?”

 

“Duo!”

 

“Ka… _dabra_!”

 

The two Pokémon continued to play with each other. _Hm._ Armin reached into his pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball.

 

“Hey!” Armin called, slowly walking toward the Pokémon.

 

“Duo?”

 

“If you come with me, you and Kadabra can be friends all you want. What do you say?” He extended his hand toward Duosion. It looked at the Poké Ball in Armin’s hand and slowly backed away.

 

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

 

“Duo…” A worried look flashed across its face.

 

“Wait!” Duosion floated away, out of sight. “Dammit!”

 

“Ka…” Kadabra groaned.

 

“I know,” Armin consoled. “But we’ll find someone, don’t worry. It’s a bummer. You two got along really quickly.”

 

“You and I can get along really quickly,” a harsh gruff voice said, emerging from the alley. It belonged to a tall, muscular man wearing torn, baggy jeans and a tattered leather vest. He had a black bandana tied over his head with a “T” on the forehead with the mega evolution insignia. _He looks like something out of a bad movie,_ Armin thought. _Wait…_

 

“We don’t want any trouble,” Armin said, backing away.

 

“I ain’t givin’ you trouble ‘slong as you give me what I ask.”

 

“N-No, we’re going to leave. Let’s go Kadabra, Tele – !”

 

“I don’t think so. Breloom, Spore!”

 

Armin heard a Breloom’s cry and immediately covered his face. He watched as Kadabra took the attack full blast and fell asleep. Armin’s eyes widened in horror as he found himself defenseless and alone. He returned Kadabra to his Poké Ball, turned and ran back towards the street.

 

“Double Team!”

 

Instantly, five additional Breloom appeared and encircled Armin. He started hyperventilating and fell to his knees. The man lumbered over to Armin and laughed to himself.

 

“Mach Punch.”

 

Breloom landed a hard punch right in Armin’s gut. He lurched over to the floor and hit his head. He felt blood trickle down his face and drip onto the pavement. He looked up at his attacker. Gritting his teeth he pushed himself to his feet. “I’m not weak…” he growled to himself.

 

“Oh?” The man said. “A fighter! Well, Breloom’ll teach ya. Mach Punch again!”

 

Breloom’s attack slammed into an invisible force field. _Huh?_

 

“What the – what the fuck you doin’?”

 

“I-I don’t – ”

 

“Breloom, again!”

 

As Breloom wound up for the punch, it became bathed in a familiar and eerie blue light. It stopped moving and was slammed into the wall.

 

“Duo!”

 

“You!” Armin called.

 

Duosion repeated the attack and threw Breloom into its trainer and the two scurried off. Armin pushed himself up onto his feet and leaned against the wall. He took a few deep breaths as the Duosion hovered in front of him, a concerned look on its face.

 

“Th-Thank you,” Armin gasped, flashing a weak smile.

 

“Duo!” It cried, focusing its attention on Armin’s pocket. The Poké Ball he kept there hovered out and Duosion brought it to itself. Armin looked on as the Pokémon tapped the button on it and was sucked inside. The ball fell to the ground and shook three times before clicking shut.

 

A huge smile grew across Armin’s face and he reached over and picked up his new partner.

 

“Fuck yeah! Worth it!”

 

***

 

Armin burst through the door of the Pokémon Center drenched from the pouring rain.

 

“Damn,” he panted. “Thought we’d make it.”

 

“Armin!” Eren called out running to his friend. “Oh my god, your fucking soaked! Where the hell were you? It’s almost time for Levi and Jean’s match!”

 

Eren and Mikasa saw a smile creep onto Armin’s face. He reached to his belt and flashed the two Poké Balls.

 

“YOU CAUGHT SOMETHING!” Eren bellowed. All heads turned and a few people clapped in congratulations.

 

“What was it?” Mikasa pressed.

 

“It’s kinda complicated,” Armin started. “This little guy kinda saved me and caught himself. Heh…”

 

“Saved you? From what?” Eren panicked.

 

“Well, this thug kinda jumped me and attacked me with his Breloom. He put Kadabra to sleep and started to pummel me when I was saved by my new partner.” Armin moved his hair and showed the cut from hitting his head on the ground.

 

Eren ran his finger along the scab and let his hand fall onto Armin’s shoulder. “Are you okay though?”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was inspired by you, really,” he blushed. “Always keep fighting.”

 

“That’s gonna get you both killed one day,” Mikasa sighed. “Let’s head to the roof. They should be starting up soon.”

 

“Wait! We didn’t get to see what you caught!” Eren complained.

 

“Oh, that’s right!” she realized. “Show us!”

 

Armin smiled and tossed his Poké Ball into the air and released Duosion. “This is Mito, my Duosion!”

 

“Awesome!” Eren beamed. “Hi, Mito!” he said, reaching over to touch the gelatinous body. Mito psychic-ed Eren away quickly.

 

“Yeah, he doesn’t like when you try to touch him. That’s how I got this bruise,” Armin explained, showing a nasty purple splotch the back of his arm.

 

“Why ‘Mito’?” Mikasa wondered.

 

“Well, it’s short for mitochondria. And the mitochondria is – ”

 

“ – the powerhouse of the cell,” the all finished in a droning unison.

 

“Yeah,” Armin laughed as he returned Mito to its Poké Ball. “To the roof!”

 

***

 

The roof of the Hollywood and Vine Pokémon Center was very similar to the one in Times Square. The rain battered a domed covering over the battlefield, which gave the roof a coliseum feel. Jean stood on the far end of the field in his trainer box while Levi stood nonchalantly in his own. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa moved behind Levi’s box.

 

“I know you don’t plan on standing right behind me,” Levi spat.

 

The three silently turned on their heels and moved to the sidelines. Eren broke away from Armin and Mikasa and jogged over to Levi.

 

“Hey,” he said, resting his hand on his shoulder.

 

“What,” Levi flatly replied.

 

“You’re gonna kick ass.”

 

Levi turned and looked at him in his electric green eyes. Eren’s breath quickened and his palms got sweaty, as he stood face-to-face with his mentor.

 

“If you don’t go by Armin and Mikasa, it’ll be _your_ ass I’m kicking.”

 

“Oh, uh, okay,” Eren stuttered backing away. As he turned to make his way to the sidelines, Levi spoke.

 

“Hey.”

 

Eren wheeled around.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Eren smiled and gave Levi a thumbs-up to which Levi rolled his eyes and unlatched his first Pokémon from his belt.

 

“All right!” Marco bellowed, standing in the referee box off to the side of the battlefield. “This will be a three-on-three single battle with standard IPL rules! No duplicate items, no bagged medicines. Challenger Jean Kirschtein versus New York City Gym Leader Levi!  Ready, trainers?”

 

They nodded.

 

Marco threw his hand into the air. “Battle start!”

 

“Let’s go!” Levi let a devilish smirk creep onto his face as Tyra emerged from a Poké Ball.

 

 _Wasn’t Tyra in a Dusk Ball…?_ Eren thought.

 

Jean snickered to himself. “Come on, Milotic!”

 

 _Perfect_ , Levi thought. _Let’s get rid of you first._ “Calm Mind!” Levi commanded. Tyra closed her eyes and her green body began to faintly glow as her Special Attack and Special Defense rose.

 

“H-How…?” Jean stuttered.

 

“I didn’t think Tyranitar could learn Calm Mind,” Mikasa whispered.

 

“They can’t,” Armin said. “This is interesting.”

 

Jean shook his head and focused. “Milotic, use Hydro Pump!”

 

“Quick! Dodge and use Agility!”

 

Eren, Armin, and Mikasa all exchanged a look of confusion. “What the hell’s going on with Tyra?” Eren asked, worried. “It’s moving way too fast for a Tyranitar.”

 

Milotic’s Hydro Pump missed by a wide margin as Tyra darted around the field with unmatched speed.

 

“Focus Blast!” Levi shouted.

 

Tyra formed a pulsating ball of focused energy and launched it at Milotic who took the hit full-force. It launched back into the barricade and slid down, fainted.

 

“ _No! Milotic!”_ Jean screamed. He ran over to his Pokémon and rested his hand on her scales. It let out a weak cry.

 

“Milotic is unable to battle! Levi is up 3-2!”

 

He returned Milotic to her Ultra Ball and dug back into his box. Jean growled to himself and whipped a Poké Ball into the air. “Wasn’t planning for this so early, but go! Serperior!”

 

The Regal Pokémon emerged from the ball and slithered into a ready stance. Its intense glare met with Tyra’s and the two stood eye-to-eye, ready to fight to the finish.

 

“Serperior, Coil!”

 

The Pokémon curled itself inward and its scales began to glow, it’s Attack and Defense going up. It’s eyes widened and it moved more precisely, intently eyeing its opponent with even more vigor.

 

“Sucker Punch!”

 

Tyra lurched forward and dealt a hard hit right across Serperior’s face. The grass type shook it off and its leaves began to glow.

 

“Leaf Storm!”

 

A barrage of razor sharp leaves was blown by a gale force wind directly at Tyra who took the hit dead on. As the attack subsided, Tyra reverted back to its true form – Zoroark.”

 

“What the – ?”

 

“You alright, Zorro?!” Levi called out. Zorro pushed himself up and was ready to continue fighting.

 

“That explains the odd move set,” Armin stated. “Zoroark has an ability called Illusion. It’ll take the form of the last Pokémon in your party.”

 

“Looks like he fucked you up a bit, huh?” Levi smirked, proud of his updated strategy. He looked at Serperior and his heart sank. Its scales glowed again, this time with more intensity as its Special Attack skyrocketed.

_Fuck,_ he thought. _A Contrary Serperior?_ He felt himself break into a cold sweat. _Dart had taken him out before I could figure it out, I just assumed –_

 

Jean’s mouth curled up into an evil smile. “Serperior, finish off Zoroark with another Leaf Storm!”

 

Zorro took another full dose of Leaf Storm and fell to the floor, defeated, as Serperior’s Special Attack soared again.

 

“Whoa,” Armin gasped.

 

“What happened?!” Eren questioned. “I thought Leaf Storm make your Special Attack go way down.”

 

“Contrary is a rare ability for Serperior,” Armin explained. “Any time a stat would drop, it goes up instead and vice versa.”

 

“Damn,” Eren muttered. “Come on, Levi!” he cheered.

 

“Zoroark is unable to battle! 2-2!”

 

Levi returned Zorro to his ball. “You did a great job out there,” he whispered. “You took out a big player. Rest up, buddy.”

 

 _Fuck,_ Levi thought. _Dart took out Serperior before it could get anything in last time._ He knew he was in a serious jam. He looked over to his support on the sidelines, cheering him on. _That kid really does have faith in me._ He took a deep breath and pulled the Dusk Ball off of his belt. “C’mon, Tyra!”

 

Tyra roared as she landed onto the battlefield, shaking the ground beneath her. A sandstorm brewed and flung sand all around the field. Serperior took some damage, but just barely. _Well, it’s something._ “Power-Up Punch!”

 

Tyra dashed forward, winding up her fist that glowed a pale yellow. It connected right beneath Serperior’s head and sent it up to the dome. It fell to the floor with a hard crash.

 

“Serperior!” Jean called out, worried. It slowly rose from the ground, ready to continue, its fortified Defenses saving it from Tyra’s now-increasing Attack power.

 

“Aqua Tail!” Serperior’s tail glowed and became covered in water. It raced to Tyra, who bumbled around, attempting to avoid it, but to no avail. Serperior’s tail connected with Tyra’s back and drove her into the ground.

 

Levi gritted his teeth. _Fuck!_

 

“I’ve never seen Levi like this,” Armin commented. “He’s really unsure of himself now and he’s making mistakes.”

 

“Yeah,” Mikasa added. “He never gives this many commands.”

 

 _Come on, Levi,_ Eren thought.

 

Tyra wasn’t getting up, as Jean commanded another Aqua Tail.

 

“Tyranitar is unable to battle! 1-2!”

 

 _Shit,_ he thought. _This is over._ He returned Tyra to her ball and switched it with Dart’s. His palms sweat at the thought of being down to his final Pokémon. _This isn’t something I wanna be familiar with_. He looked over at Eren. There was such a hopeful intensity in his eyes. He smiled and Levi felt his cheeks flush. _Snap out of it._

 

“Go! Dart!”

 

Levi’s black Greninja took its ninja-esque fighting stance. He wiped sweat off his forehead and took a deep breath. He faced two more opponents. _Dart can do it,_ he thought, _but we’ve gotta be careful._

 

“Do it!” he shouted.

 

Dart’s skin flashed as he transformed into a new typing and unleashed an Ice Beam. Serperior dodge it quickly, but not before sustaining some damage.

 

“Toxic!”

 

 _Fuck._ “Dodge it!”

 

Dart leapt away just in time to avoid the venom.

 

_Gotta make it stronger....Wait –_

“Dark Pulse!”

 

“What – ?” Armin gasped. “Why’s he using that? It won’t do much damage.”

 

Dart sent the Dark type Special Attack, smacking Serperior square in the chest.

 

“Toxic again!” Jean shouted, but Serperior flinched.

 

 _Yes,_ Levi thought. _It’s looking weak enough now –_

“Finish it!” Levi commanded. Greninja’s type changed back to Ice and sent its most powerful Ice Beam directly at Serperior’s head. It slammed square into its forehead and knocked it onto its back.

 

“Serperior is unable to battle! 1-1!”

 

Levi felt his heart pound in his ribcage. _I can’t lose._ _I can’t lose in front of him_ , he glanced over at Eren who was, along with Armin and Mikasa, cheering him on. His match with Marco almost five years ago came down to this, too – each down to one Pokémon. Levi closed his eyes and focused. _Remember your training._

 

He heard a voice in the back of his head. _Still not good enough…_

 

His eyes shot open. “I’m more than good enough,” he breathed to himself.

 

 _No, you’re not_ , the voice mocked.

 

“Shut up…”

 

“Levi! You okay?!” Jean called out across the battlefield.

 

Levi was snapped back to reality. He rose and clenched his fists. “Yeah,” he said, coolly. “Let’s go.”

 

Jean threw a Great Ball into the air. “Flygon!”

 

Levi sighed in relief at the sight of the part-Ground part-Dragon type. _We got this._ “Dart, finish it.”

 

“Dodge! And use Dragon Dance!”

 

Flygon soared out of the path of the beam and glowed a deep red, releasing an intense energy as its Attack and Speed rose. Without a word, Dart focused another Ice Beam right at Flygon who took the hit right on its wing. Flygon crashed to the ground and struggled to rise.

 

“Come on, Flygon! You know what to do now!”

 

 _What?_ Levi thought.

 

Flygon rose and opened its claw, revealing its held item. Levi’s heart plummeted and fell to his knees. The Weakness Policy disappeared into Flygon as its Attack and Special Attack soared. His eyes were closed when he heard Jean command Flygon to send an obscenely powerful Stone Edge right at the now-Ice type Dart. The floor rumbled and he heard Dart slam into the wall behind him.

 

_I told you you weren’t good enough…_

 

“I was the Champion…” Levi whispered.

 

“Greninja is unable to battle!” Marco announced. “Challenger Jean is the winner!”

 

“Undefeated for five years…” Levi breathed.

 

Jean returned Flygon to its Great Ball and leapt for joy, shouting and cheering for himself. Levi slowly returned Dart to his ball.

 

“We did our best…no regrets, right?” he said to himself.

 

He rose to his feet as his challenger approached him with his Trainer Card.

 

“Good match,” Jean said.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Levi took Jean’s Card and inserted the chip into his Pokédex. He logged in to the Badges application and awarded his badge. Handing it back to him, he deadpanned, “Congratulations. Good luck with your quest of the International Pokémon League.” He turned on his heels and beelined down the stairs back into the Center and was out of sight.

 

***

 

“I’ve called him, like, ten times and he’s not answering,” Eren said, exasperated.

 

“Where the fuck could he’ve went?” Mikasa shot. “He’s really just leaving us here?”

 

“There has to be something he said…” Eren muttered, flipping through texts.

 

“What’re you looking for? Have you two been texting all day?” Armin asked.

 

“He was pretty much glued to his phone,” Mikasa recalled. “Our day off was wasted.”

 

“Got it!” Eren cried. He threw his phone in his pocket and bolted out the front door of the Center before taking off on Charizard’s back. Armin and Mikasa darted after him, but they were too late. Eren could hear them calling after him but there was no way he was turning around. He guided Charizard westward, toward the beach.

 

It was almost eight o’clock and the sun was setting. Eren could see vermilion reflecting off of the Pacific Ocean as the city began to light up with the fading sky. Windows facing the sun appeared to be on fire, while the opposite sides of buildings glowed an artificial yellow. Eren spotted a lone figure sitting along the shoreline. He and Charizard swooped down and landed on sand. Returning Charizard to his Poké Ball, he trudged over to his mentor.

 

“You _did_ fight a great battle,” Eren said.

 

“What’re you doing here?” Levi snapped, gaze still forward on the crashing waves.

 

Eren didn't answer. He walked up to Levi and sat beside him. He took off his sneakers and socks and dug his feet into the sand.

 

“You’re such a kid,” Levi remarked.

 

“So?”

 

Levi shrugged. “Armin and Mikasa let you come after me?”

 

“Not really. They didn’t have a chance to stop me.” Eren paused. “Why’d you come here?”

 

Levi sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He leaned back, resting his hands in the sand, still not looking at him.

 

“What happened during that battle? As good as it was, you weren’t yourself.”

 

“The fuck’re you talking about? You barely know me.”

 

“I’ve known you long enough.”

 

“Whatever. You still don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Fine.”

 

The two fell silent again as the waves continued to crash at the shoreline. Flocks of Wingull and Pelipper cawed overhead as Eren’s phone blew up with text notifications from Mikasa and Armin.

 

“Aren’t you gonna answer those?”

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because right now you’re more important.”

 

Eren glanced over at Levi, whose eyes were still trained on the ocean. He couldn’t tell if it was the sunset or if Levi was blushing, but either way, Eren leaned back, imitating Levi. He went to rest his hands on the sand only to find his right hand atop Levi’s left.

 

“Oh! Uh, sorry, I – ”

 

“Leave it.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Leave it there. I like it.”

 

Eren turned a deep red. “Um, o-okay.”

 

Levi finally turned his gaze to Eren. “Do you know _why_ I lost?”

 

Eren shook his head.

 

“I psyched myself out. I kept hearing his voice over and over again towards the end and – ”

 

“Whose voice?” Eren interrupted.

 

“ _My_ mentor’s. Kenny. He was fucking awful. Never said I was good enough. Said I’d never make it.”

 

“But you did make it.”

 

“Only to lose.”

 

“Fuck that,” Eren spat, turning to face him, “losing battles is a part of training. You know that damn well. I lost to Kirschtein, which pushed me to train more and challenge you. I lost to you, which brought me on this awesome journey that’s just starting out and it’s been fucking incredible. And I get to do it with my best friends and this really great guy who, um – ”

 

Levi turned to Eren. “Guy who what?”

 

“G-Guy who makes me feel like I can do anything. Like – Like, I can _be_ amazing. The second you wanted to train me, I felt like I was really worth something. You’re better than one fucking loss.”

 

Levi and Eren turned back to the water and sat in a comfortable silence for a moment. Schools of Chinchou lit up the surface of the water as a radio further down the shoreline played Paramore's “Ain’t It Fun?”

 

“You know what _would_ be fun?” Levi began, a sly smile creeping onto his face.

 

“What?”

 

“This beach is pretty much empty. We have it all to ourselves and no one’s going to be bothering us.”

 

“Uh, y-yeah?”

 

“It’s the perfect time,” Levi said taking Eren’s hand and standing up with him. A breeze blew off the ocean between the two as Eren and Levi stood facing each other.

 

“Perfect time for what?”

 

Levi smiled. “It’s the perfect time,” he unlatched an Ultra Ball from his belt, turned away and released Fury. “To teach Charizard Flare Blitz.”

 

Eren let out a deep sigh that he’d been holding in and deflated. “Uh, okay.” He reached for his Poké Ball and released Charizard.

 

“What? You don’t want to train? I could end this now and send you packing.”

 

“No, no! I do! It’s just – ”

 

“Just what?”

 

“N-Nothing. It’s not important. Let’s teach Charizard his new move!”

 

From the boardwalk, Armin and Mikasa looked on as Levi and Eren ran around the beach attempting to teach Charizard Flare Blitz. They went back and forth between screaming obscenities at each other to roaring with laughter. Mikasa shook her head.

 

“What?” Armin asked.

 

“Let’s head back to the Pokémon Center. They’ll probably be late”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on the next chapter! I hope to have it up soon :) Comments and feedback are always appreciated :D


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